Riverside Church Sells Land to Preserve Future
- 1 day ago
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St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is taking a creative, community-focused approach to secure its long-term future. Situated on 8.65 valuable acres at 200 Riverside Avenue, the church is monetizing a portion of its property to stabilize its finances, support its core mission, and safeguard its 150-year-old Day School, which serves about 100 students.
Rather than selling to private developers for high-density residential housing, the church has chosen to partner with the Greenwich Land Trust and the Riverside Association to ensure the land remains protected open space.
Following a public hearing and key discussions with the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency, St. Paul's revised its original proposal—scaling back the plan from four building lots to two, accessible via Indian Head Road.
To complete the purchase, the Riverside Association and Greenwich Land Trust need to raise $5.2 million from the local community. These funds will directly buy the two lots for permanent conservation, providing St. Paul’s with the capital necessary to build an endowment, fund ongoing ministries, and preserve its historic school.
Between the Lines: The silver lining is a major win for neighborhood conservation: only two lots will be sold, and the land will be preserved rather than densely developed. The sobering reality, however, is that even historic local churches must increasingly sell off assets and turn to community fundraising just to survive.