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Parishioners,
Purdue, WL All Winners in Church Deal For 24 years, members of Maple Ridge Community Church in West Lafayette have spent their Sunday mornings in living rooms, gymnasiums and borrowed sanctuaries.
The
transaction will affect the shape of West Lafayette's north side
for years to come because it keeps in use a convention center,
blocks commercial growth in an upscale neighborhood and will likely
add new families to a school corporation in need of students.
"It's just a win-win," said the Rev. Brad Bush, Maple Ridge's pastor. MRCC had already owned a parcel of 7.2 acres in the same area as Purdue's property since 1989. At the time that land was purchased, it was the only suitable piece available in the neighborhood many congregants call home. Since its capital
fund campaign began in 2002, MRCC has raised $1.6 million in
cash, pledges and loan guarantees -- not enough for the master
plan that calls for a 900-seat sanctuary, a gymnasium and a
22-classroom wing. That plan could cost up to $5.5 million. The church had waited for years to begin work on that plan, but change began in 2003. Residents in the Kalberer and Soldiers Home roads area welcomed the church, but fought Purdue's proposal to rezone its Kalberer Road land from residential to neighborhood businesses. Instead, developers returned to thoughts of residential development. Developers were very interested in Maple Ridge's land, one of the last undeveloped residentially-zoned plots within the West Lafayette Community School Corp. Lots in WLCSC sell at a premium because of the district's reputation. The Purdue land is not within the WLCSC district. More than four years ago, lots in the final phase of nearby University Farm fetched up to $70,000. The land owned by Maple Ridge contained up to 20 such lots. Swap Proposed In October, White Horse offered to sell their 3504 Morehouse Road facility to Maple Ridge. White Horse was in talks to buy the Cumberland Place Exhibition Center. To buy Cumberland Place, White Horse needed to unload the Morehouse property it was outgrowing. Maple Ridge officials were interested, but not if they would have to sell off their land two miles down the road. The two churches quickly negotiated a deal based on MRCC nonland assets. Maple Ridge also had a signed purchase agreement for its land from residential developer Lidester Homes. That agreement was contingent on Maple Ridge being able to purchase the land from Lidester at an affordable price. Residential developer
Derrin Sorenson, president of Tippecanoe Development LLC, initially
held the option on the Purdue land and is developing a new upscale
subdivision just west of that tract. "University
Farms, West Port, Arbor Chase ... they're all going to be able
to walk to these churches if they wish," Sorenson said.
"I think it's a good thing." Purdue signed a sale agreement with the church on Dec. 3 for $43,000 per acre, $12,000 less than the asking price. The church, the developer and the university expect to close on the two-stage deal no later than April. The Area Plan Commission will hear the proposal to replat Maple Ridge's former land into an 18-lot subdivision called St. Joseph Court with custom-built houses costing about $350,000 each. Steve Knecht, vice
president of the University Farm Neighborhood Association, is
pleased with the plans. "The more family
residences we can get in West Lafayette, the better it's going
to be for the schools and everybody else's share of the property
taxes," he said. The church will net a profit that will allow it to pay for any additional engineering costs as well as some of the construction costs. It expects to be in it's current home on Morehouse Road for as little as three years before construction begins on their permanent home. Bush said he could
"tear up" at how much better the new site is. He described
the events as beyond human understanding or planning. Bush said former West Lafayette Mayor Sonya Margerum was "thrilled" to see what was a longshot last June had become reality. The land deal serves many of Margerum's goals. The Purdue property will no longer be subject to divisive zoning battles, and broadly desired development will proceed on both sides of Kalberer Road. The Maple Ridge land will return to the tax rolls, benefiting both the city and the school corporation. "I am fully
in favor of that and would like to help them (Maple Ridge) in
any way we can accomplish Sorenson is now working with city, WLCSC and Tippecanoe School Corp. officials as well as local state legislators to have his new subdivision incorporated into the WLCSC. "If the marketplace is telling you there is a need for housing in the West Lafayette school system, as a developer you're going to try to answer that need," Sorenson said. Bush said acquiring land, the building and then more land was a walk of faith for a small congregation that rarely had the necessary resources. The original land cost the church $220,000, but the congregation could come up with only $35,000. Enter: The Donor "To us, that
was a confirmation of God's leading and also a clear demonstration
of how God will provide above and beyond what we could ask or
think if we obey and trust Him for what it is He wanted to do,"
Bush said. Within two years, the church raised the $85,000 needed to pay off the land contract. Maple Ridge member
Dave Riley said the growing pains of home ownership are a relief
compared to rising very early on Sundays to convert an elementary
school into a church. Riley said it helps the entire congregation
focus more clearly on worship and fellowship. "It was something only God could work out," Riley said. The new 500-seat sanctuary includes a large altar equipped with a full complement of musical instruments. That's good news for church member Owen Davis. "I'm real happy not to be hauling drums back and forth every Sunday morning," Davis said. A pre-installed audio visual system also is a plus. Visitor greeter Dana Davis is already noticing growth since the move. "We have the signs up outside the building now and every week we've had new people come in," Davis said. "New people come and continue to come." Before purchasing Cumberland Place, White Horse had been renting it for services and large, national conferences for over a year. White Horse pastor Jeff Johns said the ability to seat up to 2,500 people provides a lot of flexibility for his congregation, and perhaps others. The church will do
its best to honor previous event contracts and would be open
to scheduling future community events, Johns said. Despite the size
of Cumberland Place, White Horse has not yet reached its final
destination. The church owns land near the former Aretz Airport
where it hopes to build a custom-designed facility of its own. Maple Ridge's purchase of its old building made White Horse's move possible, but Bush said he would not have made the move if it meant forfeiting Maple Ridge's long-term plans. "This was an
honest commitment to God and He proved Himself," Bush said
about the transactions. "We don't have it all figured out,
and some of the things God does are a mystery, but it always
makes sense as we move forward." |
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