A Church Turned Its Old Manse Into Five $21 Million Townhouses. Only One Was Left by Launch Day

• Boulevard Baptist Church and the Jamaica Baptist Union redeveloped a former manse in Barbican
• The King’s Manor project has five two-bedroom townhouses on about half an acre
• Each unit was priced at $21 million, and the church kept one as an asset
• The NHT approved an interim construction loan in 2012

A Kingston congregation found a new use for an old church house in 2014. Boulevard Baptist Church and the Jamaica Baptist Union, working through King’s Manor Development Company Limited (KMDC), launched the King’s Manor Townhouse Development at 15 King’s Drive, Barbican, the site of the former Boulevard Baptist Church manse, the Jamaica Observer reported in February 2014.

The gated development sits on just over half an acre, about 2,018 square metres. It has five two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom townhouses, each on a lot of 1,630 square feet, with a guard house, front garden, back patio, laundry area and two parking bays per unit. Construction began on July 22, 2013, with practical completion expected in late February 2014. Each unit was priced at $21 million. By the launch, the church had subscriptions for three units, had kept one as an asset, and had just one left for sale.

KMDC chairman Hugh Reid set out the thinking. “The project vision was to make a contribution to the housing needs of Jamaicans and also to provide an income generating asset for the church by converting property situated at 15 King’s Drive, the former Boulevard Baptist church manse, into a townhouse development,” he said. He credited the pastor, the Rev Dr Devon Dick, with the vision. The church put up the initial money, and the National Housing Trust approved an interim construction loan in June 2012. The design was cut from three-bedroom to two-bedroom units to control costs.

Earl Jarrett, general manager of the Jamaica National Building Society, gave the keynote, and Dr Morais Guy, then a minister without portfolio responsible for housing, also spoke. Asked about more projects, Reid was cautious: “What you will find is that the extent of our involvement would be based on the success of this particular venture. We will see how that goes.”

Many Jamaican congregations own a manse, rectory or house lot that no longer fits their needs. King’s Manor shows one way to turn such a property into both homes and a lasting income for the church, using church funds, an NHT construction loan and a professional development company. For returning residents and diaspora buyers looking at townhouses in Kingston, it is also a reminder that churches can be developers and sellers, and that the usual checks on title, strata arrangements and financing apply just the same.

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