The Community Church of the Pelhams appears to be up for sale again, according to Dan Bollin, president of the Pelhamwood Association, who spoke at last week’s Town Council meeting.
The last time the church appeared to be up for sale, in 2022, Bollin and the association fought a proposed development on the site led by former Village of Pelham mayor Michael Volpe.
“Recently, a group of engaged fellow residents and I became aware that the church is again in discussions regarding a potential sale,” Bollin said at the April 6 meeting.
“This time we know the church,” he said. “We believe this moment can once again bring the community together in pursuit of a more community-driven vision for the problem. We believe that vision should include mixed-use, community space, something Pelham desperately needs.”
Bollin described the current situation as different from the one he and his fellow Pelhamwood residents fought the last time around.
“Church leadership previously explored the sale of the church in 2022 and engaged in development organized by former Mayor Michael Volpe. The initial plan centered on pursuing a zoning change, remediating the church and constructing a large apartment complex adjacent to the existing church structure on the current parking lot… Our concern was not with the church nor with the idea of a different use of the property. Rather, we believed the proposal lacked meaningful community engagement, and that its scale–approximately 30 apartment units–was not appropriate.”
Faced with local opposition, Volpe scrapped the plan and the church eventually sought a buyer.
Bollin told the Town Council that he was hopeful that new ownership of the Community Church could result in positive change at the property. “Ideally, such an approach would preserve a place of worship, protect a local landmark, create a valuable shared space for the broader community, and ensure that any evolution of the space and property is guided by a broad and inclusive set of stakeholders. We recognize that there are few easy answers on the future of 448, Washington Avenue, and that creative collaborative thinking will be required to reimagine its potential… The Pelhamwood Association stands ready to participate, support and help advance a community oriented path for 448 Washington Avenue.”
A representative for the church did not respond to a voicemail left this morning. And no one answered the door around 1 PM. The church was built in 1922 according to a cornerstone overlooking the parking lot.
Also at last week’s Town Council meeting, a resident of Second Avenue raised objections to the town’s proposal to build a new headquarters for Pelham’s EMS team on the vacant lot between the Post Office and the Hutchinson River Parkway. The EMS team is currently housed at Town Hall on Fifth Avenue.
“This parcel is owned by Westchester County, zoned A3 Residential by the Village of Pelham, and classified as ‘roads and highways’ on the tax rolls,” said Megan Garufi, who lives around the corner from the site. “That classification strongly suggests it was part of the original Hutchinson River Parkway green buffer created in the 1920s—land that was intentionally preserved and never treated as a buildable lot. Most importantly, the Town cannot bypass Village zoning. When I spoke with the Supervisor, she indicated the Town believed it could rely on ‘home rule’ to override zoning. But the Town has no zoning authority inside the Village.”
Garufi closed her statement by noting that the parcel of land, “has never been treated as a buildable lot, and an ambulance headquarters would be a major change of use. That requires zoning relief from the Village before anything can proceed.”
In other business, the council heard from Art Scinta, town historian, who described some of the events that were being planned for the 250th anniversaries of the Declaration of Independence as well as the Battle of Pelham. The council approved a resolution authorizing a special fund of $2,000 which would go towards celebrations of the anniversaries.
