$3.5 Million for a Church Near the Beach: San Francisco’s Grace Evangelical Free Church Sells to a Housing Developer

• Grace Evangelical Free Church of San Francisco sold its property at 4114 Judah St. in the Outer Sunset for about $3.5 million.
• The buyer is Avi Ron, founder of Houston-based Urban Meridian Group; the deal closed in January 2026.
• The 8,250-square-foot lot was upzoned from a 40-foot to an 85-foot height limit, allowing up to eight storeys.
• The church stays for six months before moving to a property in San Bruno; interim retail uses are being considered.

A San Francisco church near Ocean Beach has sold its site to a developer planning apartments. Mission Local, in a report by Junyao Yang, said Grace Evangelical Free Church of San Francisco sold its Outer Sunset property.

The church, at 4114 Judah St. on the corner of 46th Avenue, sits on an 8,250-square-foot lot three blocks from Ocean Beach, near the N-Judah train and a bus stop. It sold for about $3.5 million to Avi Ron, founder of Houston-based Urban Meridian Group, in a deal that closed in January 2026. The congregation will stay for six more months before moving to a property in San Bruno.

Under the city’s new upzoning plan the height limit on the site rose from 40 feet to 85 feet, allowing up to eight storeys. The buyer plans market-rate apartments with ground-floor retail. In the meantime, uses such as a boba shop, a restaurant or an art studio are being considered.

Consultant Thomas Kerbleski said of city approval: “The over-under optimistic estimate is three years.” He said: “I want to have complementary uses that allow more things to thrive.” He also said: “there are zero businesses being displaced and zero residents being displaced.”

When planners allow taller buildings, church land near transport can become far more valuable. Grace Evangelical Free Church sold at a moment when its site could hold up to eight storeys, and moved to another property. Jamaican churches should keep an eye on planning changes near their land, such as new transport links, development orders or rezoning, because these can change what a site is worth. A church thinking of selling should get advice on what the land could be used for, not just what stands on it now.

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