Refusing to budge on plans to build an ostentatious 16-story-tall monument to opulence just three feet from the windows of their Upper East Side neighbors, Redeemer Presbyterian Church has come up with a solution for residents next-door set to lose most natural light and ventilation — albeit an embarrassingly selfish one.
“I remain very disappointed that you couldn’t accommodate them with the extra five feet,” said Community Board 8 member Michelle Birnbaum.
The board’s Zoning & Development Committee took the representatives from the wealthy church to task on Tuesday night — the first time the Redeemer has come before the board during the months-long David vs. Goliath fight — over their disappointment in the stubbornness of the church’s leadership and it’s less-than-neighborly steamrolling over its next-door neighbors.
“Listening to how welcoming and caring [you are] about your neighbors,” Community Board 8 First Vice Chair Valerie Mason wondered aloud, questioning why the impact on them “wasn’t uppermost in your thoughts when you were planning this building.”
There had never been a problem in the past because the previous apartment building that stood for decades at 150 East 91st Street, between Third and Lexington Avenues, had sprawling ‘light wells’ on its sides — recessed areas that gave its tenants and residents of the co-op next door plenty of light and air.
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Redeemer Presbyterian church — which paid a staggering $29.5 million just for the property, despite a paltry membership of just over 1,000 congregants in a neighborhood with 230,000 residents — now says it is willing to pay for artificial lighting and roof-mounted air conditioners that won’t even provide fresh air to residents, however, neighbors will have to foot the added electric cost each month.
“When you consider all the energy that something like that will use, it’s contraindicated for times like these,” Birnbaum added, “I would imagine that the expense of that would be exorbitant assuming some electrical system which is very, very, very high costs.”
“We have no commitment to provide ongoing financial assistance,” said Bruce Terrell, Executive Director of Redeemer Presbyterian Church East Side.
At one point, when pressed by Mason, Terrell admitted that not only didn’t the Redeemer bother to do its due diligence regarding the buildings on opposite sides of the building, he noted that had they known about the difficulty with the neighbors — who were fighting to preserve nothing more than their access to natural light and fresh air — plans for the 91st Street church would have been scrapped.
“We can’t move the building and that’s really the practical issue of it,” explained Terrell, “Had we known had we known we needed to [give neighbors access to light and air] we wouldn’t have bought the property to begin with.”
“I’m sad it’s come to this,” said CB8 member Anthony Cohn, “I am very glad that you admit the problem, which is the problem of your own creation, sadly.”
Only one resident from the co-op located at 160 East 91st Street showed up to Tuesday night’s meeting, sharing details about how Redeemer has been unwilling from the very start to alter their plans for the towering church building and resigned to their fate at the whims of the church’s unsympathetic leaders who control a financially-resourceful entity, which as a religious institution is not required to disclose how much money it has, much less where its funding comes from.
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“In addition to the cost of the equipment and the installation, we definitely are incurring the [cost of] management [and] supervision,” said Meenakshi Rao, a representative from the co-op, “If you could reconsider that, it would be helpful.”
Unlike other non-profit entities that still file returns with the IRS, churches are not required to report any revenue or spending information to the government and serve as untaxed financial black holes.
Upper East Site inquired as to the cost of membership at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, but did not receive a response.
“The building lacks humility,” Cohn added, “It is not architecturally a good neighbor.”
As many committee members noted, the massive and extravagant 158-foot-tall church lined with gold trim and adorned with a giant cross, is out of character with the block, while Redeemer’s actions also fly in the face of its so-called mission of ‘giving back,’ which was peddled by several parishioners who spoke in favor of the church’s plan.
“As a stay-at-home mom, one who utilizes that play-and-learn co-op for my two toddlers, it can be an isolating place. I can’t wait to have a space for our family to meet to play throughout the week,” said parishioner Bridget Landon, speaking about her family’s desires while neglecting to mention those whose homes are now shut in by concrete, “I love knowing that our family will have a physical church space to call home.”
“I’m excited … how there will be a permanent space that uniquely allows me to meet others from my neighborhood from backgrounds that are very different from mine,” explained Bridget’s husband Rob, ignoring the fact that all those “very different” people he meets all have one big thing in common.
Following the testimonials from Redeemer congregants, Community Board 8 member Elizabeth Rose brought up burning questions on many peoples’ minds.
“When did you learn that the proposed building would have the impact that it will have on the adjacent departments? How do you feel about that? What would you say to those individuals who are being affected? And how does this fit with your spiritual and religious beliefs?” Rose asked the parishioners still in the meeting.
Only one congregant would come forward to give a response.
“I feel that my church has handled a really difficult situation very well. It has been something that we weren’t happy about” explained Kimberly Hunt, “but at the same time, I do believe that — and I hope that — the benefits of what we bring will outweigh some of this.”
When questioned by a member of the public about security and the possibility of a police presence, given the impending influx of hundreds of people onto the quiet block to utilize the massive new church’s services — as well as the church-affiliated non-profit that will be leasing several floors of the building — Redeemer’s leadership were once again solely-focused on themselves.
“We have two security guards that are there every Sunday, that literally are wanding people [with metal detectors] as they as they walk in, so we are committed to keeping things safe for the neighborhood and certainly for our congregants as well,” Terrell said, without explaining about how the church would be keeping the neighborhood safe.
CB8 member Marco Tamayo then scolded the Redeemer’s architect for ignoring the environmental impacts of the building, which is not designed to be sustainable or conserve energy.
“As a professional, you have an ethical or moral obligation to preserve this planet to reduce carbon emissions,” Tamayo said, “More carbon emissions you emit, the poor quality the air is in the neighborhood. This is a serious problem for me.”
“It does comply with every energy code requirement of the building that was set up by the state in the city,” Terrell fired back, confusing compliance with the limits of the law with that of human decency — a recurring theme throughout the meeting.
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Unwilling to recognize that the ‘right thing to do’ and ‘what the law allows’ are not always the same — despite the fact that a set of ethical and moral principles are what churches preach to their followers — Redeemer has repeatedly pointed to the new building being constructed ‘as-of-right,’ meaning no special permission is needed.
At the building on Wednesday morning, most of the windows next door have been ensconced by the new church, which is already nearing the 85’ roofline of its neighbor despite Redeemer’s characterization Tuesday night as having only four stories built.
“I’m disappointed. I understand what the law is. People do what the law requires,” said Mason, “I just don’t understand why that thought process wasn’t really at the inception of this project in dealing with your neighbors.”
