FAQ

Yes and no: While an offer has been put forward, and accepted by the MNYS (the current owners), this proposed sale must now gain approval from the state Attorney General.  

The Attorney General must approve any and all sales of major assets by a church or another non-profit, which must petition their office. This process is called “Disposition of assets,” and the AG’s role therein is descibed in more detail here. 

The Attorney General can approve, deny, or recommend a petition for court review.  AS regards this last action, the AG’s notes: “…there may be circumstances when the Attorney General has no objection to a transaction but determines that review by the court is appropriate, including transactions that are unusually complex or will have an impact on the public.”  

It is our hope that a recommendation for court review would have the effect of delaying a sale of the church, or better, scaring off the developer. We have seen this scenario play out before: Indeed, the first buyer proposed for the Park Church pulled out of the sale, possibly for these reasons. 

It is our intention to organize a reasonable, community-supported counter-offer and present it to the Park Church’s current owners as soon as possible. We believe this community can mount such an offer, congruent with the current offer being entertained — but we need time. 

We are establishing a Real Estate Investment Cooperative (REIC), crowdfunding the capital to purchase and renovate the church.  

REICs are a relatively new form of commercial legal enterprise, pioneered under the Obama administration, that allows people to pool smaller amounts of investment without the headaches and restrictions commonly associated with selling securities. Think crowdfunding, but for real-estate, where an investment as small as $1000 will secure you a tiny slice of New York City.

The benefits of an REIC model are that communities can effectively band together to engage in commercial activities that are usually the province of Big Capital, thereby acting as their own developers, and the money invested can generate returns.

With all due respect to the city, we believe that there is a more efficient, and streamlined way forward, keeping this process in the public realm, but outside of the civic arena (where things get real slow and real expensive real fast). 

We intend to make an offer in excess of the current recorded offer of $4.7M. 

We intend to tranform the former church into CommonPlace, a community center with a mission to gather people in time and space in community: nothing more, nothing less. 

In order to succeed as a community center, CommonPlace will need to hear from the community what is needed!  

That said, a mixture of the uses that previously thrived at the chruch is sure to recur.  

Lastly, we can identify a few models for what we hope to create, including Absalon in Copenhagen, DK, and Town Hall in Seattle.  

CommonPlace is driven by equity investment, not by donation. 

That said, we do envision a non-profit having a role within the larger organization, in time. We will explore that idea when the time comes. 

Glad you asked. You can start by visiting the “How can I help” page, just over here.  

Then, you can help to spread the word. We will only succeed if we manage to get a wide swath of the community activated and faithful in our mission. So tell our friends, tell your family, and help make CommonPlace a reality. 

Glad you asked. You can start by visiting the “How can I help” page, just over here.  

Then, you can help to spread the word. We will only succeed if we manage to get a wide swath of the community activated and faithful in our mission. So tell our friends, tell your family, and help make CommonPlace a reality. 

It could work if enough people believe in it. 

We know that. 

We also exactly what will happen if we do nothing. 

So we are doing something. 

For now, “we” are Jamie Hook, Emilie Baltz, and Matt Morello;  Alma Pannier, David Buchbinder, Lauren Clark, and other  Greenpointers who love this neighborhood and love the church, and want to see both thrive and grow and strengthen our community. 

We hope soon, “we” will be many more of us–including you!