Dear xiao-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. Since my last clarification request I have found enough
information that I feel comfortable posting my research as an answer
for you.
I?ve given your question about 24 hours of research and I now share
your frustration in finding suitable properties in the area you
mentioned. I was able to find five such properties though that I
believe are quite suitable for your purposes and well within your
project budget. I exhausted my efforts so I feel I can post the answer
to your question and provide you with the best information available
under the circumstances. I didn?t have a great deal of luck finding
homes which can be remodeled and only limited information about land
for potential building sites, but I did manage to find some commercial
properties which can easily be remodeled to create a Church facility
and I even found a couple of actual Churches for sale that are
currently functional and for sale within your price range (with a lot
to spare):
Here are three local properties that I feel have really great
potential. The first two are currently being listed by Realty Seven,
Inc. (203-762-5548) :
No: 98178563 - $2,340,000 Commercial - Ridgefield, CT 06877
Nice big building that probably won?t need a lot of remodeling to turn
it into a very functional Church building. Built in 1964 this building
sits on 19.64 acres so there?s lots of room to expand, hold meetings
and activities outside and build other buildings or parsonages on the
property. Nineteen acres also creates a considerable Church investment
opportunity for the future if your congregation plans to subdivide
later and use the funds for other interests. From the photo the
property looks beautiful. With your budget buying this property will
leave you with more than 1 million dollars to work with.
REALTY SEVEN ? SEARCH FOR LISTING # 98178563
http://realtyseven.com/homesrch.htm
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No: 98167120 - $1,750,000 Commercial - Norwalk, CT 06854
If large property is not an issue this .94 acre paved lot offers great
parking space and the building can easily be renovated under your
budget to create a nice Church. The property is situated on state
highway frontage and has gas, electric and city water utilities
available Financing is also available to a qualified buyer.
REALTY SEVEN ? SEARCH FOR LISTING # 98167120
http://realtyseven.com/homesrch.htm
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This one is offered by Drakeley and seems to be a worthy and
accessible building site. I didn?t find many building sites that would
suit your purposes because many of them have few utilities available,
but this one is in a main street and there are businesses in the area
already. Utilities are available here:
Woodbury, CT ? building site with main street frontage - $499,000
This property located in Woodbury, is listed as ?One of the last
pieces of commercial property left in Woodbury?. It is 5.9 acres with
Main Street frontage in Woodbury, CT. Listed at $499,000, buying this
property will leave you with a huge project budget to build and make
all the changes you wish to make, plus you?ll have room to offer
comfortable parking and room for future expansion.
Here is the property survey:
http://www.drakeley.com/images/mainstcomm.gif
DRAKELEY
http://www.drakeley.com/commerical.html
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The next two properties I felt were certainly worthy of mention since
they seemed to be exactly what you were hoping for, however they are a
bit outside the zip code you asked about in your question. However
since you did mention you were interested in location ?around? the
06897 area and suitable properties have proven very difficult to
locate (as I?m sure you already know), I am listing these for you as
well:
First, take a look at this property, which is located outside the
06897 zip code in Madison. I included it because the potential here is
enormous and the price is really attractive given your budget:
The Madison Lutheran Church, in Madison, CT is building a new Church
and is offering their current Church building for sale for $995,000
This property and building, which already serves as a Church in
Madison, CT, just listed in December. The current owners are
anticipating a long and difficult time selling the property because
they believe there is no real market for Church properties. It is
possible that they will take less than their asking price. The church
is located on 1.7 acres overlooking the Madison Green. It is listed by
William Raveis Realtors for $995,000,
according to Rev. Volker Heide. In 1970, the original church was
enlarged by adding a choir loft, fellowship wing and a spire. In 1980,
the church added a nursery school. Buying this property would allow
you to move right in and begin your activities immediately without
requiring much (if any) remodeling and allow you to leave 2/3 of your
project budget in the bank.
NEW HAVEN REGISTER.COM
http://www.newhavenregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10598318&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=517514&rfi=8
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Now take a look at this one, in New Britain, Connecticut (Hartford
County) which is also ideal for your purposes and is ready to move
into and begin activities immediately. The buildings, land and
everything are listed for only $600,000. Buying this property will
definitely leave the majority of your project budget intact for other,
more useful purposes. The property includes:
Land Area: 1.45 acres combined
Building Area:
6,256 s.f. church building
3,150 s.f. rectory building
6,152 s.f. social hall building
PHOTOGRAPHS http://www.arnoldgrant.com/15wilcox/web_album/index.htm
(Be sure you take a look at this beautiful Church, rectory and property!)
Land Area: 1.45 acres combined
Building Area:
6,256 s.f. church building
3,150 s.f. rectory building
6,152 s.f. social hall building
Zoning: T - Two or Single Family
Utilities: All available
Property Type: Church, hall and rectory
Land: Two abutting parcels of land containing a total of 1.45 acres.
The primary parcel (15 Wilcox Street) is irregular in shape and
contains 1.18 acres. The parcel provides 99.9' of frontage along Daly
Street, 197.3' of frontage along Wilcox Street and 176.35' of frontage
along West Street. The secondary parcel (58R West Street) is nearly
rectangular in shape and contains 0.27 acres. The parcel features 59'
of frontage along West Street and has an average depth of 197'. The
parcel is vacant land and is currently used as parking for the church.
Access may only be obtained through the northwest corner by traveling
through the primary parcel. A chain link fence prevents access form
West Street. Both parcels are level at street grade.
Yard improvements include a 440 s.f. two car detached garage, 4,000
s.f. of asphalt paving and approximately 1,200 feet of chain link
fencing. The asphalt paving extends as a driveway to West Street,
Wilcox Street and Daly Street. The current entrance to the property is
via Daly Street. Access via Wilcox Street and West Street has been
prevented by a locked chain link gate at each entrance.
The land is not located within special flood hazard areas; it lies
within "Zone X", areas determined to be outside the 500 year flood
plain (per National Flood Insurance Program Map, Community Panel
#090032-0003C, revised May 18, 1998). The subject property is not
affected by officially designated inland/wetlands soil types. All
utilities are available.
Church Building: Approximate building area: 6,256 s.f. Built circa
1962. Basic construction elements: concrete foundation, wood and
masonry framing, concrete block exterior walls with limestone brick
veneer, steeply pitched roof with asphalt shingles. Heat by an
oil-fired furnace with hot water radiator distribution. The building
is not sprinklered or air conditioned.
Entrance is provided through a set of four wooden doors at the center
of the church facing Daly Street and a smaller set of doors at the
rear of the church. The interior of the church is attractive and
contains decorative or ornate detailing. The church features high
pitched ceilings with exposed wood beams and dark hardwood planks.
Floors in the church are finished with either vinyl tile flooring or
carpeting. Natural light is provided via stained glass windows found
along the north, east and west sides of the building. Light is
provided by chain suspended fixtures which contain incandescent bulbs
with decorative covers. Steps lead up to a large carpeted alter area.
The alter area is separated by a marble railing. Twenty rows of wooden
pews separated by a central aisle provide seating for an estimated 250
to 350 people. Wooden staircases located at each end of the main
entrance lead to the choir loft.
Located at the rear of the church are several small storage rooms, a
mens and womens bathroom, and a sacristy.
Rectory The rectory is a two and a half story building constructed
circa 1920. Basic construction elements include a concrete foundation,
limestone brick exterior walls, and a pitched roof with asphalt
shingles. Heating is provided by gas fired hot water distribution
through covered cast iron units. Interior walls are plaster; some
walls contain wooden wainscoting and/or wallpaper. Floors are hardwood
with some carpet covering. Ceilings consist of a suspended acoustical
tile system with covered flourescent light fixtures.
The layout of the rectory is typical of a residential structure. The
main floor contains a kitchen with gas appliances, a half bathroom,
living room, dining room, pantry room and various office and sitting
areas. The second floor contains two full bathrooms and four bedrooms.
The third floor is an unfinished attic with exposed wooden beams and
wood floors and walls.
The basement is unfinished concrete and contains various rooms used
for storage and laundry as well as a half bathroom.
New double hung vinyl windows were installed throughout the entire
rectory approximately one year ago. The roof was reportedly replaced
within the past ten years. The rectory contains a security alarm and
smoke detectors.
* A note about rectory size: The New Britain Assessor's office gives
the attic area full credit and lists the effective building area as
4,173 s.f. Our inspection reveals that the attic is unfinished. We do
not include the 1,023 s.f. attic in the total building area. The
effective building area for the rectory is therefore 3,150 s.f.
The property contains a two car detached garage with stucco exterior
walls, a pitched roof with asphalt shingles, and two wooden garage
doors.
Social Hall: Approximate building area 6,152 s.f. The social hall
building was constructed as the original church circa 1920. Basic
construction elements include a concrete foundation, concrete block
exterior walls with limestone brick veneer and a pitched roof with
rubber membrane covering.
The hall is slightly below grade with a concrete ramp entrance located
at the north side of the building. The main entrance along Wilcox
Street is through two heavy wooden doors located at either side of the
front of the building. This entrance leads to six steps which provide
access to the main hall.
The hall consists of a large open room with vinyl or asbestos tile
flooring, painted concrete block or plaster walls, and a suspended
acoustical tile ceiling with covered fluorescent light fixtures.
Wooden chair rails are located along the lower portion of some of the
walls. Speakers are located in the ceiling tiles. The building
contains men?s and women?s bathrooms with ceramic tile wainscoting and
ceramic tile flooring. The rear of the building contains a large
kitchen and a storage room.
Heat is provided by gas fired radiators; the kitchen contains a gas
fired suspended blower.
Fire and safety features include emergency floodlights and fire
extinguishers. The building is not sprinklered.
Land and Buildings are offered for sale for $600,000. Fixtures,
religious objects, decoration, and personal property are not included.
Offered as is where is. Buyer responsible for all investigations.
Contact: Arnold Grant, Broker 1.860.525.6758; 1.203.495.8830 or
1.800.345.5311; Fax: 1.860.278.6414. email: arnold@arnoldgrant.com
http://www.arnoldgrant.com/15wilcox/all%20saints%20data%20sheet.html
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
Defined above
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
CHURCH, SANCTUARY, FAIRFIELD, FAIRFIELD COUNTY, REAL ESTATE,
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY, BUSINESS PROPERTY, HOMES FOR SALE, LAND FOR SALE,
PROPERTY FOR SALE |
