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Church looks
at Southridge lot
Bible Center may buy
BIDCO site for expansion

George Hohmann <business@dailymail.com>
Daily Mail business editor

Kris Wise <kriswise@dailymail.com>
Daily Mail staff

Thursday May 08, 2003; 10:30 AM

One of Charleston's largest churches is in preliminary negotiations with the Business and Industrial Development Corp. to purchase the bulk of developable land at the BIDCO's Southridge Centre Business Park.

Bible Center Church is a prospective buyer for an 88-acre parcel of land behind Metro 911's future communications center near Home Depot and Toys ‘R' Us.

Church administrator Lee Walker said the church has been looking for a new site for more than three years and the Southridge property, which includes 36 acres of usable land, is "one of the most suitable" out of more than 20 properties that were considered.

Walker said that based on requests from the development group and advice from the church's realtor, he could not confirm or deny if the church has made any offers on the land.

Bible Center Church has eight acres of property on Corridor G across from Ashton Place, only a few miles from the Southridge Centre Business Park. Walker said the present facility is stretched to capacity and future plans for the church call for at least 25 developable acres.

Senior pastor Shawn Thornton said regardless of whether the church moves to a new location, future programs are planned that could employ up to 125 people. Bible Center now staffs about 70 people in its day care center, elementary school, administration and counseling programs.

The congregation has grown 8 percent to 11 percent annually for the past five years. More than 1,300 attend Sunday services, which recently were expanded to accommodate the churchgoers.

A "vision plan" for 2015 shows the Sunday congregation eventually growing to 2,500. Plans also call for the elementary school to expand to a middle and high school, and for new ministry, senior citizen and counseling programs to emerge.

The property "meets almost all of our criteria," Walker said. "It's south of the river, it's still in Charleston and it's got a lot of buildable acres."

Bill Goode, president of the BIDCO, said his organization is currently in different stages of talks with about seven prospects who are looking at property at Southridge Centre.

"I don't feel at liberty to divulge any of the prospects or the details of any of the conversations," Goode said.

BIDCO is seeking buyers for Phase Two of the business park, which is 90 acres, Goode said. The sale of Phase Two would leave BIDCO with a total of 25 acres in the portion of the park it originally developed.

"Phase One has completed roads and utilities and our largest lot, 12 acres," Goode said. "Phase Two needs more infrastructure. There are smaller buildable lots within that parcel. Our philosophy is, if we could convert that land to cash, we could then look for other real estate opportunities throughout the area."

Neither Walker nor Goode would say what price the church and BIDCO are discussing for the land. Last year Goode said BIDCO hoped to raise about $3.5 million from the sale of Phase Two.

In a December 2000 review of the development of Southridge Centre, Goode said lots in the park with all utilities and a paved road were priced at about $150,000 per useable acre.

Goode said today Phase Two would need a $1 million investment in infrastructure to have the basic roads and utilities and command a price of $130,000 to $150,000 per useable acre.

In 2000, Goode said, "We're more interested in the project than the sale price of the land. We would give the land away for the right economic development project."

BIDCO developed Southridge Centre with the goal of attracting manufacturing jobs and office buildings. But last year, with much of the park still empty, BIDCO lifted restrictions on who can buy land in Phase Two.

Any buyer of Phase Two land "will be free to do anything" within the city of Charleston's zoning guidelines and the business park's covenants, Goode said. "A church, I believe, would be considered ‘commercial' and would probably already be covered in our covenant," he said.

Goode was asked how BIDCO could justify selling property to a relocating church when the whole idea behind the business park is the creation of jobs.

"If the job factor is not there and the construction (job) factor is not there, the BIDCO staff needs to make a strong case to the Board of Directors for how we're going to utilize the funds from the sale to assist job creation in the valley," Goode said.

"Southridge (Centre) is not the end of economic development," Goode said. "It is just one of the things we've done over the last 40 years. We hope to do many more things. If a Southridge sale helps convert raw land to cash that can help another economic development project, then it has served its purpose."

Goode said BIDCO's Board of Directors will be updated on activities at Southridge Centre when it meets May 22.

Writer George Hohmann can be reached at 348-4836.