Facility Planning Team

Facility Planning for Northeast Community Lutheran

A Facility Task Force began meeting in March, 2009 to research the current options available to NEC in regards to the Lowry site, the 13th Avenue site, the Holland School, and any other new options that might have emerged.

Objectives of the Facility Planning Team:

The task before Northeast Community Lutheran Church now is to make a series of thoughtful decisions that will lead the congregation into a great facility solution. When we look at the "big picture" we see bewildering and almost insurmountable problems. When we take it logically, step-by-step, we can find a good solution.

Facility Team Guiding Principles

1. Mission-Driven. Not "me-driven". Key question for every decision: "How will this decision affect our ability to reach and serve people in our community?"

2. Facts. The facts that we need are fairly easy to assemble, and as we gather more facts the decision will become a lot easier.

3. Priorities. What are the congregation’s top priorities? Every building process involves compromises. When you know your priorities and stick to them you will make the right compromises.

4. Fast Track. There is almost nothing to gain by dragging the process out, and there are three critical reasons why the facility decisions should be made as quickly as possible. First, we are in a prime window of opportunity right now in terms of construction costs. Second, the mission of Northeast Community Lutheran will be greatly enhanced once the facility issue is settled. Third, the sooner the surplus real estate can go on the market the quicker it will sell and the lower the holding costs.

5. Communication. The congregation should be continuously and thoroughly informed about the work of the facility team and the council so they know the facts behind the decisions they will be asked to ratify. This includes written materials, after-worship meetings, presentations, and especially one-on-one conversations. Communication could include a tour.

6. Financial and Environmental Responsibility. The operating budget and the facility solution are intertwined and both must be approached with tough fiscal discipline. This responsibility extends to the consumption of natural resources over both the short term and long term.

7. Prayer. We can’t do this alone and we shouldn’t try. God wants Northeast Community Lutheran Church to thrive so it can carry out his mission, but how can we expect God to help us if we don’t ask?

Members

Pastor Evelyn Dahlke

Tom Fischer

Kyle Fokken

Sally Palm - Chair

Pastor Craig Pederson

Kathy Schadendorf

Virginia Schnabel

Jennifer Schultz

Cathie Witzel

Facilitator - Dave Raymond

Meeting reports

Facility Team Notes 2-19-09 meeting.pdf

Facility Team notes 3-12-09 meeting.pdf

Facility Team Notes 3-19-09 meeting.pdf

Facility Team Report to Council 3-24-09.pdf

Facility Team Report 4-2-09 meeting.pdf

Facility Team Notes on 4-23-09 meeting.pdf

Facility Team Notes on 4-30-09 meeting.pdf

Facility team notes on 5-06-09 meeting.pdf

Handout 5-7-09 Plan B rev[1].pdf

History and Background

Facility Planning Team Report - May, 2008

How we got to where we are?

The Facility Planning Team was formed just as NECL church began the process of consolidation with three congregations and three buildings. The team first examined the three church buildings in regards to our mission, our projected needs, and the principles of visibility, accessibility, buildability and expandability. After thoughtful review, the team determined that the Lowry Ave site and the 13th Ave site, while lacking in some regards, had the most potential to meet the criteria set forth. It was at this time that the team recommended that the 22nd Ave site no longer be pursued as the permanent facility.

At the same time, the team evaluated three additional options: the former Holland School, the Alamo building, and new construction. Holland School and the Alamo building were toured, and the possibilities they offered were evaluated. The findings gathered for the two remaining churches along with information from the school, Alamo, and new construction were presented to the congregation on July 15th for feedback. Many insightful comments were obtained and the committee answered all questions in a published response. The Alamo option recieved little support and the committee recommended that this option no longer be pursued for the permanent facility. At this point it was clear that new construction would be the most expensive option given that no cleared parciles of land for constuction were available. The committee recommended that new construction should no longer be pursued for the permanent facility. Subsequent to this decision, a parcel of cleared land became available for new construction across the street from the southern-most border of our target area. Upon investigation it was found that the property holder intended to retain ownership of the property while building to suit the client, renting the new construction to the client at the commercial rate of $3 per sq ft. Being just out of our target area as well as some of the long-term finacial aspects of this option rendered it unsatisfactory and it was not pursued further.

As we moved into the fall of 2007 we began to gather more data on the remaining three options: 13th Ave, Lowry Ave, and Holland School. Some of the costs of the Lowry site were discovered to be higher than originally estimated. It was discovered that one of the properties that needed to be purchased for this option had actually been sold in May of 2007. This would be expected to drive up our projected purchase price for the property. In addition, there were no blueprints for the Lowry Ave site, requiring a field measurement of the building ($9500-12,500). The architectural fees would also be expected to be $10,000-15,000 higher. The new construction would probably lead to the required replacement of most mechanical and electrical systems, though these costs would be expected to be recouped in future years. There was a small fear that our nontaxable status for the Lowry site could be changed based on current use of the building, adding a property tax burden onto the current $20,000 annual carrying cost for this building. At the Minneapolis Plan open house, a causual mention of our need to purchase and tear down four housing units for parking and new construction was received with a chilly response. On a later follow-up for clarification, we were told that "any additions or alterations to existing buildings would most likely require site plan review. In addition to that, depending on the site chosen and the parking available, a parking variance or shared parking agreement may be needed. Whenever possible, the City tries to encourage shared parking arrangements as opposed to teardowns of existing housing stock for the creation of surface parking lots." The Lowry Ave plan calls for the widening of Lowry Ave by one lot length up to Central Ave, but whether this would actually happen and affect the church negatively could not be predicted and was disregarded. Upon the approval of the budget with a projected deficit, we felt some urgency in reaching a conclusion as to whether to continue to keep the Lowry Ave site as an option. With some negatives removed from the 13th Ave site (mentioned below), it was felt that the 13th Ave site better fit the criteria needed for the congregation, and it was recommended that the Lowry site no longer be pursued as the permanent site.

The feasibility of the Holland School has varied throughout this process. It wasn't until early 2008 that it became clear through the community asset development process that the school district would consider selling the property, though it was suspected. On the positive side the price range that was reported from the school reuse committee came in lower than our original estimates. Earlier models of churches utilizing school buildings lacked the partnership aspect that would be required in the Holland School option. Our pursuit of a partner to date has been unsuccessful partly based on the fact that the school is not on a main thoroughfare or busline. While a charter school would seem a natural fit, here are special considerations since by law the charter school cannot own their own building. That would put the church in the role of landlord. A real estate agent specializing in locating properties for charter schools to use said that while there are always 5-10 groups looking for space every year, he did not think that a charter school would be a good match for the church. His advice "go solo, don't be too picky, pick a location and make it work." A recent failure to reach an agreement between a charter school and a Roman Catholic church demonstrated many potential landlord/tenant issues that our church and a charter school could face. In addition, the Minneapolis School Board has seemed resistant to charter school competition, though they may be changing on this. Based on the lack of a partner, the lack of visibility, and the "non-church feel" a school represented to a few members, the committee recommended the Holland site no longer be pursued as the permenant site.

The 13th Ave site as the permanent site

There was concern regarding the structural integrety at the 13th Ave site. A structural engineer was brought out to look at the older portion of the church building. He found no structural concerns in his investigation. He recommended some maintainance to keep the older portion of the church building in good repair, but did not examine the newly built portion. In our information gathering we see that there is a need for many repairs, improvements, and reconfiguration of this space to make it fit. The fact that it could be carried out in phases was an appealing aspect. Without going outside of existing walls, there is enough space for us to thrive at this location. Carefully weighing all the issues presented here and above, the 13th Ave site is recommended as the permanent site.

Where do we go from here?

We are now beginning to moving into the planning and design portion of this project. We have brought in Tom Johnson from HGA Architects to help us. In the early stages we will be determining our needs as they relate to our church's mission. We will then take what we learn and begin to shape the space available to best meet those needs.

Peter Radford

Chair of Facility Planning Team (2008)

The Facility Planning Team would like your feedback on its Report on Five Permanent Facility Options that was presented at the informational meeting on July 15, 2007.

View the Permanent Facility Program and Criteria that formed the basis of the Report.

Click here to read an article from the Northeaster newspaper about closed Minneapolis Public School buildings, including the Holland School.

A new congregation serving Northeast Minneapolis