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Religious Properties

Religious properties, including places of worship, schools, and other facilities, have unique land use issues and legal protections under local, state, and federal law. Our team of land use and real estate attorneys are fluent in the complexities that often arise for these important sites. We regularly assist churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, schools and other religious organizations in the acquisition, disposition, and redevelopment process. These institutions often have valuable real estate assets, and a desire to reposition them in order to better serve their spiritual missions, whether through purchase or sale, leasing or financing, or assembling joint ventures with other nonprofits or for-profits. There are specific allowances for additional density for affordable housing on religious property in many jurisdictions, and we are fluent in these exceptions as well.

Religious organizations also often have unique leadership structures that must be thoughtfully approached. Clients trust our team's experience and collaborative approach to ensure successful results. Our team understands how to work with the specialized management and issue areas that religious organizations face, and we work collaboratively with our clients to make sure their legal needs are met thoughtfully and effectively. Whether it is a small congregation or a large institution, our team will provide tailored legal solutions that meet the specific goals of each client.

Representative Matters

  • We help religious organizations navigate the legal protections and regulations that apply to religious properties, including zoning and design laws, historic preservation regulations, and tax exemptions.
  • We assist religious organizations purchase, sell, finance, or refinance their properties, including negotiating and drafting agreements, reviewing title and survey issues, and coordinating due diligence efforts.
  • We help religious organizations in the redevelopment of their properties, including identifying potential partners, negotiating related agreements, and efficiently securing the necessary permits and approvals.
  • We work with religious organizations to optimize the use of their real estate assets to further their respective spiritual missions in ways beyond worship, such as by developing affordable housing, support buildings, classrooms, or community facilities.

Representative Experience

  • University Temple United Methodist Church
    We represent University Temple in the redevelopment of its church site in the University District, situated directly south of the Project 4311 site. This redevelopment project will provide new religious facilities, more space for mission-aligned activities, and two new towers containing 224 housing units intended for students. The project is borne of a partnership between University Temple and American Campus Communities, a housing developer. It presents unique land use issues related to the complex mix of uses for the site and the special needs of the religious institutions.

  • Trinity Church
    We represent Trinity Church in the redevelopment of its property in First Hill. Though the historic church will remain at the site, the outbuildings will be redeveloped into residential apartments above new offices and mission-related facilities for the church. Our work for this project has included the negotiation and documentation of a complex set of transactional documents, which allowed for (a) completing a boundary line adjustment for creating the development site; (b) the establishment the site as a commercial air space condominium; (c) the sale of the upper air space units and development rights to a third-party developer; and ultimately (d) enabling the developer to construct the project.

  • Union Presbyterian Church property at 415 Westlake Avenue
    HCMP advised Union Church for the redevelopment of its South Lake Union property. Union Church ("Union"), affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA, is seeking to build a new, expanded home though the redevelopment of the property into a mixed-used residential and commercial project. HCMP assisted with negotiating and documenting the sale and redevelopment of its property at 415 Westlake Avenue. As part of our engagement the team worked with the neighboring property owners of 411 Westlake Avenue to sell the aggregated parcel, structuring a condominium regime, and documenting the redevelopment of the site which will include the design and construction of Union’s condominium unit.