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First Christian Church use as events center granted approval from BZA
A church that has helped serve the ecumenical needs of the Greencastle community for 125 years may help fill other local needs for many more following action of the Greencastle Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).
Brian Ramirez of Coatesville was unanimously granted a special exception use variance to employ the church building at 110 S. Indiana St. as an assembly or banquet hall in the Central Business District.
Ramirez explained that he and his partners have purchased the church building at the northwest corner of Indiana and Poplar streets (along with the four-apartment structure just west of it that fronts South Jackson Street).
“It’s an opportunity to use a beautiful space and historic structure,” he told the BZA at its January meeting last week at City Hall. ”My partners and I fell in love with it.
“We love the building. We love the people. We love the history.”
So much so that they have signed a 100-year lease with the First Christian Church congregation (part of the Greencastle landscape since 1830), which is aging and declining in number, he said. About 40 people presently attend services regularly there, Ramirez said.
“They will maintain services on Sundays along with annual and quarterly events like Christmas and Easter and their Jason Asbury concert for as long as they wish,” Ramirez said. “They just don’t use the rest of the space any more.”
But his project will with such ideas as event space for social occasions and weddings, office space, five small efficiency apartments and even auxiliary event space for DePauw University and the City of Greencastle to use if needed, he added.
In all, the building is 17,000 to 18,000 square feet in area, Ramirez said.
“You’re undertaking quite a project,” noted BZA member Wayne Lewis who ultimately made the motion for approval.
Ramirez said the developers are “very fortunate the building has been well taken care of for a very long time at a very high level.”
The main items awaiting the remodel are the addition of 15 fire doors throughout the facility and the creation of two ADA-compliant restrooms to augment a number of basic restroom facilities already within the building.
The entire building is currently undergoing a State of Indiana code compliance review that precedes occupancy, Ramirez said.
Project engineer Scoggins Design expects state approval by the middle of this month, he added.
The sanctuary has been reconfigured with round tables instead of church pews to help serve a dual purpose of filling First Christian needs and providing rental capacity that could seat 125-150 people as a banquet hall, Ramirez said.
Fellowship hall in the lower level of the facility will also be utilized in the project.
A functioning kitchen there will be converted to a caterer’s kitchen, the petitioner noted.
“We’re speaking with an institution right now about using fellowship hall as ‘office space,’” Ramirez said, using air quotes to accent that label.
Church members, he said, are “excited we’re giving new life to their building and offering the potential to show off something that’s been there 125 years.”
“And we’re excited,” Ramirez added, “to be a part of the activity ongoing around Greencastle right now.”
Since the majority of the events at the location will likely be weekend or evening activities, parking should not be an issue with the city lot nearby, Ramirez and City Planner Shannon Norman told the BZA.
Following Lewis’ motion to approve the zoning request and a second from Brian Cox, the measure passed unanimously with additional favorable votes coming from Margaret Kenton and John Phillips. Board member Donnie Watson was absent.