The New Commandment Baptist Church at 625 Park Road is currently on the market for $3,500,000 and includes the parking lot and rowhouse to the west
Here’s some news that is sure to have a major impact on Park View. A reader alerted me a week ago that both the New Commandment Baptist Church’s main property at 625 Park Road and their property at 608-610 Newton Place were placed on the real estate market on August 2, 2012. This is a huge change in direction for the church, which once had hopes of building a job training facility next to the church.
Location of the church property on Park Road, NW
In contacting the church, they confirmed that they have listed all of their property in the area. According to the church, the District government has made remaining in the community challenging, which led the congregation to vote to relocate rather than to continue the battles. They did not go into detail on exactly what those challenges are, but I suspect that the listing of 610 Newton on the blighted property list in March 2012 is part of it.
Both properties are large and will significantly change the character of their blocks no matter what a new owner might decide to do. Both properties are also zoned residential. The Park Road property includes the church, parking lot, and rowhouse to the west of the parking lot and has been listed at $3.5M.
Offered at $1,500,000, the property at 608-610 Newton includes the large lot behind it for a total of 11,277 sq ft of property
However, it is the property at 608-610 Newton Place that I find the more intriguing. It is listed at $1.5M and not only includes the shell of the former apartment building at 610, but also includes the large empty lot behind the properties. More notably, 610 Newton has also been a nuisance location over the years. With the potential to not only rehabilitate the property but also increase its footprint with an addition to the rear anything that happens on this site will be a huge game changer for the 600 block of Newton Place.
These are definitely properties to keep an eye on.
610 Newton Place
The listing for 610 Newton Place includes the large vacant lot behind the property
"The territory comprising Park View extends from Gresham Street north to Rock Creek Church Road, and from Georgia Avenue to the Soldiers' Home grounds, including the triangle bounded by Park Road, Georgia Avenue, and New Hampshire Avenue" (from Directory and History of Park View, 1921.)
