(Courtesy of Norris Design)
By Corina Vanek | Arizona Republic
A plan to sell and redevelop a church near downtown Phoenix would secure the congregation some much-needed funds to continue its work in Phoenix, but some community members hope portions of the nearly 80-year-old building can be salvaged.
Mercy Hill Church, located near Seventh Avenue and Fillmore Street, is under contract to be sold to Trumont Group, a Texas-based real estate development and investment firm, which plans to raze the existing church building and develop a 122-unit apartment complex on the site.
Once the sale is final, the church plans to build a new worship facility on land nearby that the church already owns. The affordable housing units on the existing church site are not part of the redevelopment and will remain in place.
The sale would generate money for the new building and free the church leadership from having a maintain an aging building that has, in many ways, fallen into disrepair.
“Buildings are a blessing but can also be a burden,” Anthony Cox, lead pastor at Mercy Hill, said at a community meeting about the church’s future.
Cox said the church is committed to the community, but the building maintenance and other operations have gotten so expensive that if they do not act soon, they might not be able to stay in the area.
