Clarkstown supervisor: Town to buy Grace Baptist Church's land for $4.5M

A controversial fight for a historic church's land in Nanuet has finally been won.

News 12 Staff

Oct 3, 2019, 9:39 PM

Updated 1,660 days ago

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A controversial fight for a historic church's land in Nanuet has finally been won.

Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann announced Thursday that the town will buy Grace Baptist Church for $4.5 million.
Clarkstown had eyed the property, which is only a block away from downtown, for years. 

The price was too high, and then a girls yeshiva tried to buy it before its deal fell through. The yeshiva is now suing the town, claiming Clarkstown blocked the deal due to discrimination.

“They weren't able to close. You can't come back after the fact and say we couldn't close because of the town. It had nothing to do with the town,” says Hoehmann.

Hoehmann says the yeshiva didn't have the money. 

Now that Clarkstown has the cash - and will borrow money, too - Hoehmann says the town intends to use the church for parking for nearby schools, possibly a community center and housing for certain groups.

“It's in such close proximity to our downtown area. It's a walkable area. A lot of seniors don't want to use their cars, first responders need a place to live and millennials that can be able to go to the train station,” says Hoehmann.

The commuter train to New York City is only two blocks from the church.

The town board will first vote on the resolution to buy the church later this month, but town officials say it's expected to pass the board unanimously. 
 
 


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