A Park Slope church is willing to destroy its garden to save itself.
The Church of Gethsemane — whose name, ironically, refers to the garden where Jesus Christ supposedly spent his last night before being crucified — has sold its half-acre, tree-filled side lot for development into high-end condos.
“The survival of our unique congregation is more important than the garden,” said the Rev. Liz Alexander, the pastor of the church, whose mission is to serve the poor and recently released convicts.
“We serve the less-fortunate — and they’re not big donors,” Alexander said. “When a developer makes you an offer you can’t refuse, you don’t refuse.”
Alexander refused to divulge the identity of the buyer nor how much he paid for the large lot at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 10th Street. But she did say that the new owner would respect neighbors’ wishes for a building that fits in with the low-rise character of Park Slope.
“We went with these buyers because they assured us they would build in style with this neighborhood,” Alexander said. “By law, the building can’t be more than 50 feet high.”
But neighbors remain concerned.
“It’s all been so secretive,” said Peggy Cyphers, who lives a few doors down from the churchyard. “We feel that we have been cheated out of the opportunity to find other uses for this land. Do we really need more condos?”
Cyphers and a small group of concerned neighbors met last week at the Tea Lounge to plot a strategy.
She said her group would now focus on saving three “very old Sycamores” on the site, and blocking a new curb cut, which would further reduce the already limited space for street parking.
Alexander did not speculate on whether the trees could be saved.
“I don’t know if any green space will be included [in the developer’s plan],” she said. “I haven’t seen any real plans.”
— with Gersh Kuntzman