The Story So Far
34 Properties. 34 Properties is the number of properties reviewed by the building committee between 2019 and 2022. This does not include properties that were immediately passed on after discovering they were under contract or had some atrocious feature that rendered the property unusable. This does not include the properties explored in 2017 and 2018, just after the sale of the Baileywick[1] property. This includes all the properties that were investigated and rejected or purchased by another buyer. The real estate market in Raleigh/Durham is active and competitive and trying to find a good piece of land was a task we could not accomplish on our own.
In March 2023, Father Patrick came across two adjacent properties in South Durham. These properties had been relinquished to the State from a deceased owner. From what we could tell, the deceased owner had a lot of property but these two properties did not have a designated inheritor. The process for bidding on these properties was unlike a typical transaction where the buyer goes under contract with the owner upon agreement of due diligence terms. Instead, once a buyer puts in a bid, a 15 day clock begins for other buyers to send in bids. The highest bidder goes under contract, even if there is only one bidder. Long story short, we were the highest and lowest bidder.
Once under contract, we had 6 months to perform due diligence, communicate this information to the Parish, and conduct an All Parish vote on whether to purchase the land or not. The due diligence confirmed the site could meet our needs but there were two items of uncertainty: parking and utilities. The site had enough space for minimum parking requirements but we also knew Durham was considering rescinding these requirements. Without minimum parking requirements, we decide how much parking we need and would allow us more green space. Utilities (water and sewer) were the other item without definite detail. The site did not have water or sewer however a water line runs immediately adjacent to the property and sewer not too far away. Worst case, the utility costs could be upwards of $1M but could not know without purchasing and pursuing various options. With this full knowledge, and the blessing of the Archbishop, the parish voted to purchase the property. The 2.7 acres of land was purchased for $525,000 in August 2023.
Now comes design. Arguably the most exciting part of the process. Many of us had only worshipped in a space that had been converted from some other building (warehouse, store front, protestant church). The dream of many in this nascent Orthodox nation is to worship in a space essentially designed to enhance the authentic worship of an Orthodox service. Surrounded by hand painted icons. Scantly lit with natural light (mostly candlelight). Acoustic design to maintain the beauty of the spoken words. For this very specific design, we decided to use an Orthodox architect who could capture these nuanced elements on paper. Of course we have more technical considerations for the church, as well. Each ministry has a set of needs required to function: How many classrooms do we need? How do we layout the kitchen? Can we get a choir room close to the nave? For these needs, we solicited those closely involved with these ministries for input and documented it. With a full list of needs and an Orthodox architect closely aligned with our vision, we take the next step forward to turn our vision and needs into plan drawings and specifications. And, Lord willing, those plan drawings and specifications turn into our new church home.
[1] Baileywick was a property in North Raleigh. It was purchased in 2016 with the hope that it would be the new home for Holy Transfiguration. The site could only be used as desired with rezoning. All feedback at the time suggested the rezoning would be approved with ease. However, when the time came, rezoning was denied. Soon after, the church sold the property and began the property search again.
