After a two week delay, on November 15th, the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBA) approved an appeal bid to rezone St. Laurentius Church. The approved variance allows developer Leo Voloshin to follow through with his proposed plan to adaptively reuse the interior of the building into 23 apartment units while keeping the exterior “entirely intact.”

  As Spirit News reported in February 2016, Voloshin entered a preliminary agreement to purchase St. Laurentius Church from the Holy Name of Jesus Parish. This agreement is supported by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (AOP). Voloshin’s agreement of sale for the church was contingent on his ability to receive a zoning variance.

  During a recent non-binding community vote at a neighborhood zoning meeting, Matt Karp, the Executive Chair of the FNA Zoning Committee, explained why the proposed adaptive reuse requires a zoning variance.

  “Even though this has been a church for hundreds of years, it’s zoned right now as RSA-5 and that is for single family homes,” Karp said. “So if you want to do something to the church that does not conform to that existing zoning, you are going to need a variance in order to move forward.”

  Voloshin has a history of developing property in the the Riverwards, having worked on the development of an old building in Kensington, which is currently being utilized as space for his company, Print Fresh Studios. He also lives in the surrounding community with his wife and children.

  “We believe we have found an approach that preserves the building. We’re also going to attempt to preserve as much of the existing interior architecture as possible and not removing any of the arches or any of that stuff,” Voloshin told Spirit News back in in June. “But we’re looking at it in the sense that the only reasonable use of the building is an apartment conversion.”

  When Voloshin first decided to place a bid on the historic church, he did so knowing the hurdles his proposed development would face.

  The building was closed on March 31, 2014 and was deconsecrated due to the findings of an engineering report commissioned by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

  In July 2015, the Philadelphia Historical Commission designated the exterior of St. Laurentius as historic, protecting the structure from demolition. But even with that designation, if the Parish, Archdiocese or developer claims financial hardship on the historic site (meaning that they don’t have enough money for necessary repairs) demolition could still occur.

  For almost two years, there have been disagreements in how much money it will cost to fix the historic structure. The report commissioned by the AOP through the engineering firm O’Donnell & Naccarato has estimated the cost to fix the church at around $3.5 million. Save St. Laurentius, a community group supporting various efforts to preserve the Church, has brought forth estimates between $600,000 and $700,000. Voloshin sees the cost of his adaptive reuse coming in the $1 million or more range, depending on the amount of structural issues that arise.

  On September 20th, more than 200 local residents attended a zoning meeting and took part in a non-binding vote on whether or not to approve a zoning variance for St. Laurentius Church. According to Karp the final vote count read: 107 “Yes” to 165 “No.” The community vote was nearly split down the middle 73 “Yes” to 74 “No.” The local vote (residents living in close proximity to the proposed project) came out strongly against the zoning variance — 34 “Yes” to 91 “No” — due to the potential lack of parking in the immediate area.

  The recent decision by the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustments to grant Voloshin a variance for the structure despite the strong voter turnout against it has angered some in the community. Jesse Gardner, director of the Unsung Heroes Gallery and member of Faithful Laurentians, another St. Laurentius preservation group, explained his group’s opposition to the ZBA’s recent decision.

  “It’s a bad decision for a couple of different reasons,” Gardner said. “A majority of the neighborhood residents voted against this variance for the developer. And the neighborhood and former parishioners of the church turned out in great numbers at that ZBA hearing to say this is not just bad for the building, but also for the neighborhood in regards to density and use.”

  Gardner continued: “The predominant housing type in Fishtown is single family housing. The idea of cramming multi-family housing into that historic building with residents who really don’t have a stake in the neighborhood, that was a huge concern for the people that testified against this project.”

  Meanwhile, John Wisniewski, a member of Save St. Laurentius, sees the potential issues with opposing Voloshin’s plan for the church. If the plan for apartments is not supported it could leave the AOP with no other option than to demolish the church building.

  “There have been no takers on this church and this guy (Voloshin) came through,” Wisniewski said. “I don’t see any other way we can save the exterior aspects of the church unless it’s repurposed and this is the only person that has stepped up to help after much outreach.”

  Wisniewski added: “I know it’s going to be profitable for him in the long run, but at least he is willing to make the repairs needed to the exterior of the building so it can serve as a landmark in Fishtown.”

  Wisniewski believes that in lieu of another economically feasible plan for the historic church, those opposed to Voloshin’s plan should accept the reality of the current situation facing the structure.

  Wisniewski thinks that it may be hard for some to accept this fate, saying that members of the Faithful Laurentians have been steadfast in their efforts to save their church. He characterizes their efforts as “shooting for the stars.”

  In recent months, members of Faithful Laurentians have attempted to take matters into their own hands by creating an alternative plan they view as a means to “save the entirety” of the historic structure. Their two-part plan would, in theory, create a non-profit 501(c)(3) group called The Faithful Laurentius Institute. The new organization would be charged with writing grants, seeking donations, doing public outreach and setting up educational programs to teach people about the church.

  The plan’s second facet would include a cooperative business arm called the St. Laurentius Polish Cultural Center, which would be heavily engaged in event planning, hosting weddings, corporate events, community functions, concerts and other events. However, there are no available funds for such a plan at this point in time.

  The group’s plan for the church has not come without its own critics. Save St. Laurentius member AJ Thomson says that the Faithful Laurentians have been misleading the community about their plans. In an email forwarded to Spirit News, Thomson outlined his concerns to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:

  “The Faithful Laurentians group has spread these claims throughout our community and convinced a number of elderly, long-time St. Laurentius parishioners that [Faithful Laurentians’ plan for] re-purposing is both possible and probable,” Thomson said. “I request that the Office for Property Services [for the AOP] issue a statement in Holy Name Parish Bulletin or in our local papers to dispel this fiction.”

  Thomson added: “Those of us on the Save St. Laurentius Committee and in our community who believe that the development with Leo Voloshin’s group is the best way to save the church building have fought hard to get us to this position, which preserves the structure and, importantly, preserves the finances of our parish in the best possible fashion. We believe the AOP should let our parish and the Fishtown community in general know the truth.”

  The Archdiocese chose to provide only a brief comment for this story — while not agreeing to answer a number of questions — saying that they “would not be available for a phone interview on this topic.”

  “At this time it remains a parish matter,” Ken Gavin, AOP Communications Director, said in an email to Spirit News. “We certainly support the parish in its efforts to be a prudent steward of its assets and look toward the safety of the community, but we have no further comment beyond that at this time.”

  When asked to respond to questions regarding the recent zoning approval, Voloshin provided no specific comment, only saying that he would respond to all questions regarding the approval and a timeline for the adaptive reuse of St. Laurentius at a later date in the near future. •