Big changes sought for historic church property near UA

The nearly 3-acre site of the Trinity Presbyterian Church complex at 400 E. University Blvd., at the intersection of North Fourth Avenue and University , could see two new buildings with retail, office and rental units if the plan is approved by the mayor and City Council.

Church members also hope it will bring life to unused buildings and the large plot of land owned by the shrinking congregation.

“Back in the day when there was 3,500 members of the church, every inch was used,” said Bucky Lovejoy, head of the Long Range Development Team at Trinity Presbyterian. But with the roster now closer to 200 members, the congregation put out a call for development proposals in 2011.

Realization of the plans are still a long way off, says Randi Dorman of local firm R+R Develop, which is handling the project in cooperation with the church.

“We have so much that we still need to do. We have to go through the whole PAD (planned area development) process, I mean, that’s going to take through the end of the year,” said Dorman.

On Thursday, a joint city-county historical review subcommittee recommended approving the proposal to rezone areas of the church out of the West University Historic District.

‘Big infill project’

In addition to a building known as the children’s annex, plans would remove a 1950s-era addition and cement awning that blocks the historic facade of the 1924 church building. Trinity Presbyterian required renovation of historic buildings in the development plan and relocation of a historic duplex owned by the church to elsewhere in the district. It has also mandated nothing rise higher than the current Donald Hitch Memorial Tower, at 51 feet, to keep the church spire unobstructed.

The proposed structures would rise to three and four stories. There will be ground-floor retail in both, two floors of offices in one and three floors with 72 rental units in the other. About 160 parking spaces are also in the plans.

The zoning allowance approved Thursday would carve a hole in the current protected area if passed by the mayor and council. This was a concern for the West University Historic Zone Advisory Board.

“This is a big infill project, and as it looks now it would involve the relocation of historic buildings. And both those things are troublesome, so we’re keeping a close eye on it,” said Robert Fleming, who chaired the advisory board meetings that reviewed — and ultimately approved — the plans over the last couple months.

The code has always provided a pathway for rezoning out of a historic preservation area, said Jonathan Mabry, historic preservation officer for the city.

But Mabry says he doubts the time and expense of the review process makes it a tempting prospect to smaller-property owners, which comprise most of those in the West University area. Dorman estimated the review process added $150,000 to the cost of developing their plans.

“The reason it’s different somewhat in this case is the Trinity Church has a big enough property to make the trouble and time worth it and viable,” Mabry said.

Neighbors concerned

“They’re proposing rezoning that would allow them to demolish a later addition to the church from the 1950s,” Mabry said. “The State Historic Preservation Office has evaluated that later addition and determined it is not designated historic and is not a contributing property to the West University Historic District. They’re proposing rezoning that would put back all the regulatory requirements of the historic preservation zone, except it would allow them to demolish that non-historic addition and allow them to build a new building to a taller height than would be allowed by the historic preservation zone standards,” Mabry said.

“The process is so onerous because it’s so important,” says Teresita Majewski, who chaired the meeting of the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission Plans Review Subcommittee, which approved the plans Thursday.

“People are skeptical and tend to be less supportive of things like this than they might normally be because of past experience,” she said.

In 2012, the West University Neighborhood Association circulated a petition objecting to the 12- and 14-story high-rises built by Chicago developer Campus Acquisitions on the northern edge of the UA campus. The effort was ultimately defeated in Pima County Superior Court.

At that time, City Attorney Mike Rankin told the Arizona Daily Star the neighborhood’s complaints had been heard by the City Council. But neighborhood president Chris Gans said concerns were not addressed and protections had failed them. Gans declined to comment on the church plans for this story.

The next step is a review by the mayor and City Council on June 21. If approved, the developers will write the proposed zoning they hope to use, and the review process begins anew. That round also includes a public hearing with the zoning examiner. Ultimately, the mayor and council will decide on the project.

For Lovejoy, who is a third-generation member of Trinity Presbyterian, the plan’s success would mean a new lease on life for his congregation.

“Part of the idea was we’ll get a chunk of change for the land and then participate in the rents to help support the church,” said Lovejoy. The agreement grants the church an equitable stake in the development once built, and it has worked closely with R+R on plans.

Carolyn Maycher is a 45-year member of Trinity Presbyterian. She greeted Lovejoy in the church parking lot the day after the meeting and was pleased to hear the subcommittee had recommended the zoning allowance.

“It’s going to be so great, we’re not going to have to worry about money anymore,” Maycher said. “This is going to keep us vibrant and alive. It’s a small group, but we really stick together. People have raised their children here. It’s so important to keep it going,” she said.