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[Back to index of February articles] Diocese to seek bids on Germantown tract By Lucy Chumbley After much debate, the Diocesan Council decided Jan. 10 to put a parcel of land in Germantown, on the market. The diocese had acquired the land as a potential site for the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, but that congregation has since closed. Due to zoning changes, it is no longer possible to build a church on the site. Council members agreed to accept bids on the property for a 90-day period, after which they will make a final decision about how to dispose of the land. The land, a 4.7 acre tract which had not been listed for sale, had already attracted the interest of several potential buyers, most notably the Transitional Housing Corporation, a nonprofit that submitted a proposal to build 110 units of affordable housing on the site. The THC has offered the diocese $3.2 million for the property, which has been appraised at $3.3 million but which some realtors have suggested could be worth significantly more - $4.5 to $6.75 million - in the current market. While most council members looked favorably on the THC proposal, debate centered on the possibility of selling the property for a higher price and using the money for the diocese's specified priorities (youth and college ministry, congregational development and increasing Christian mission globally and domestically). Several council members wondered whether the higher figures were "real numbers." "The only way to know the fair market value of this property is to list it and have competitive bidding," said outgoing Finance Committee chairman Mike Febrey, who also advised the council that the time was right to sell. "We would be helping ourselves tremendously by selling the land and having the cash in our accounts," he said. "Nine months from now, we might not have this joyful decision to make." The Rev. Carleton Hayden said he thought the property should be sold to the highest bidder, and the money should be used for evangelism - "to advance the mission of the church." "I think we should go for the highest price possible,' said council member Linda Freeman. "As the diocese I think we have a responsibility to build up the congregations of this diocese to do mission and ministry, and I don't think we should do outreach directly." "I just would hope that we all are aware of the possibility of what we are doing here," said the Rev. Steve Huber. "It seems to me that we have the opportunity to do something really good in the metro area... If we get an offer of $4-, $5- or $6 million, that offer is likely to come, not from someone bad, but not from someone who will use it to do good in the community. We can sit and rationalize about the good work we can do with the money but we should realize that with this we could do something with the property and the money." Hayden pointed out that soliciting bids would not necessarily preclude the THC offer, and Bishop John Bryson Chane agreed. Chane said the council should "really commit ourselves to a 90-day period in fairness to all and to the THC." [Back to index of February articles]
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