A $75,000 Lot Beside a Historic Church Will Become Four Affordable Homes in Savannah

• Abyssinia Baptist Church in Savannah sold a vacant lot at 1622 Ogeechee Road for $75,000.
• The buyer, Savannah Historic Initiatives, plans four affordable single-family homes and to renovate an existing shotgun house on the site.
• The church building itself was not part of the sale.
• The buyer is behind a housing initiative in the historic Cuyler-Brownville neighbourhood.

A Savannah church has sold spare land to a group building affordable homes in its historic neighbourhood. The Savannah Agenda, in a report by Eric Curl, said Abyssinia Baptist Church sold a vacant lot to the developer behind the Cuyler-Brownville housing initiative.

The lot, at 1622 Ogeechee Road on the corner of 34th Street and Abyssinia Lane, sold for $75,000. The buyer is Savannah Historic Initiatives, formerly Savannah Local Initiatives, which was formed in August 2021 and is also behind the restoration of the Kiah House.

Juan Uzcategui of Savannah Historic Initiatives said the group plans to build four affordable single-family homes on the vacant lot while renovating the existing home there, a historic shotgun house. He said: “The property sale does not include the church building.”

Abyssinia Baptist Church was established in 1911, and its building dates to 1887. Its pastor is Brenda H. Allen. The church describes itself on social media as founded by a “faithful few with the vision of serving Christ by serving others”.

This is a small deal with a clear lesson: a church does not have to sell its sanctuary to put spare land to good use. By selling only a vacant lot, Abyssinia raised money and helped bring new homes to its own neighbourhood while keeping its place of worship. Jamaican churches with unused lots beside their buildings could consider similar sales or partnerships with housing groups, especially where the new homes serve the community the church already serves. It is important to have the land surveyed, agree clearly what is and is not being sold, get an independent valuation and agree any conditions on the land’s future use before signing.

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