These churches don’t want poor people as congregants. They couldn’t build $90 Million buildings like that Catholic cathedral the “church” made a conscious decision to build (& spend $90 Million) at the height of the Great Recession…
…so NO, churches would not be interested in commingling with poor people on their properties
Numerous church assets inside of the Beltline (I-440, for those less familiar) have favorable by-right, higher density and mixed-use zoning that could be repurposed for and/or developed into affordable, missing middle and attainable housing along with approachable space for other much-needed community activities in our urban core.
From my preliminary research, local churches of varying denominations/flavors own 162 acres of dirt inside the Beltline, which corresponds to approximately $564M in tax-assessed valued assets.
soapbox warning
The Edenton Street rezoning got me thinking about churches in general, specifically on-street parking. Why is it that church-goers can park in no parking zones and in bike lanes on Sunday with no recourse, but if someone was visiting a tax-paying business during the week or even later in the day on Sunday, they would be ticketed.
I’m thinking specifically about Vintage Church on Moore Square. Their congregants park all along Person St. every Sunday. Anyone else notice this?
I would imagine it has something to do with the fact that ticketing churchgoers is a great way to get an entire congregation of statistically very likely to vote people very mad at the city government.
We’re still in the south basically. But they’re actually legally allowed to park in bike lanes on Sunday mornings. They pretty much run politics at the end of the day anywhere in the South.
Yep. In many cases, it’s less about churches lobbying and more the possibility of churches lobbying. If city leaders avoid stepping on toes altogether, then it’s one less thing they have to worry about.
I know from experience that church goers parking in no-parking zones can be an inconvenience for some. Consider the alternative:
A church buys an adjacent lot (assuming the owner of said lot was willing to sell), to use for surface parking, or worse yet, construct a parking deck.
Would you rather live with the status quo, or have another parking lot/parking garage? Pick your poison.