Construction of housing project in former Church to begin with parking dispute in the rearview

Construction can now begin on a project to transform the former First Congregational Church on North Main Street into housing after new plans, updated to reflect an agreement between developers and the neighboring Greater Islamic Society of Concord, got their final city sign-off last week.

“We’re looking forward to getting underway after a bumpy start,” developer Ben Kelley said.

The Islamic Society sued the City of Concord last fall, arguing that its concerns about parking availability — it had long used parking spaces on the church property — had been unfairly sidelined during the approval process by the Zoning Board. Kelley and developing partner Jonathan Chorlian made an agreement with the Islamic Society and its president Ali Sekou, also a city councilor, to give it some land between their two properties that includes a driveway where parking spaces will be added.

As part of the agreement, the Islamic Society agreed to drop its lawsuit against the city.

The new arrangement got a green light from the Zoning Board in February and another from the Planning Board last week. Kelley and Chorlian can now start construction in earnest on their plans to put 30 one- and two-bedroom apartments in the 1937 church, adding a boost of new housing downtown. Some demolition work began last week, with substantial construction work set to begin within a month and wrap up by spring of next year, Kelley said.

City council has approved seven years of property tax relief for the development, totaling an estimated $393,000, under a state law incentivizing the rehabilitation of historic buildings towards the public benefit. It must be “substantially complete” by the end of March 2025 to receive it, under terms extended by the council this month.