Church becomes prime real estate spot

Can a church become a prime real estate spot ever? It is quite difficult to assimilate the story as a church is basically a place for public (especially Christian) worship but the same is happening, at the moment, at Kingston, the capital and largest city of Jamaica, which is located on the southeastern coast of the island country.

The news has come to the fore owing to the revelation of the same to the local press by Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC). As per the company, it had approved the development of a Chinese Christian church, between RBTT Bank and Globe Insurance Company, and opposite Cuddy’z Sports Bar & Restaurant, on Dominica Drive in New Kingston.

As indicated by the company, the church is being constructed on lot 2, 17 Dominica Drive, and will be the second such entity to occupy prime real estate in the heart of the business district. Just a few blocks away, on Trinidad Terrace, the building once occupied by upscale restaurant Mac’s Chop House has since last year been home to Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

This is also a new development since Universal Church is a tenant of real estate mogul Gordon Tewani, to whom it pays rent and the Chinese Christian Church will hold its prayers on land it owns. It has been found that the 14,680 square-foot lot was purchased by the Jamaica Chinese Christian church for $20 million from Life of Jamaica (now Sagicor Jamaica) in 2006.

“Churches are very prosperous; they get a lot of donations and the best thing that they can do with it is buy prime real estate,” says Anya Levy, realtor at Valerie Levy and Associates. “It may not be the best use to put a church there, but if they were shrewd enough to purchase land knowing that it’s prime location, they can do whatever they want to do with it.”