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Paradox Church (former Worth Residences site)

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#1 Austin55

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Posted 03 August 2020 - 09:09 AM

In the DDRB is an item for a new church at 900 W. Belknap. 

 

DG20 – 011 900 W. Belknap Street Owner: Capital Development Partners, LLC – Kyle Paulson Applicant: Paradox Church - Jim Essian Requests approval of building massing and form (conceptual approval) of a church structure and parking lot. 

 

 

This is where the cancelled Worth Residences had been proposed. The site is a full block bounded by Henderson, Peach, Mills and Bluff and 3/4 of the block to the Southeast.

 

The hearing will be on the 6th so we should know more then.



#2 Jeriat

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Posted 03 August 2020 - 11:07 AM

In the DDRB is an item for a new church at 900 W. Belknap. 

 

DG20 – 011 900 W. Belknap Street Owner: Capital Development Partners, LLC – Kyle Paulson Applicant: Paradox Church - Jim Essian Requests approval of building massing and form (conceptual approval) of a church structure and parking lot. 

 

 

This is where the cancelled Worth Residences had been proposed. The site is a full block bounded by Henderson, Peach, Mills and Bluff and 3/4 of the block to the Southeast.

 

The hearing will be on the 6th so we should know more then.

 

 

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#3 rriojas71

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Posted 03 August 2020 - 11:16 AM

I guess if we lived in Weatherford then we may be excited by this...  no offense to anyone from Weatherford. 



#4 roverone

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Posted 03 August 2020 - 01:21 PM

It looks as though that Church is currently meeting in the Doxology Bible Church on Hulen.

 

And in 2016 made an offer on the Mount Gilead Baptist Church.



#5 Austin55

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Posted 03 August 2020 - 01:57 PM

It looks as though that Church is currently meeting in the Doxology Bible Church on Hulen.

 

And in 2016 made an offer on the Mount Gilead Baptist Church.

 

I had also heard that they made an offer on the Public Market.



#6 Austin55

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 01:46 PM

Renderings and details can be seen in the link below. The church sits on the block to the South, while the Worth site is just a parking lot.

http://fortworthtexa...bf99f2ced97.pdf



#7 JBB

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 02:05 PM

I know there's some level of disappointment with this vs. what could have been, but it could also be much worse.  At least the building is oriented toward Henderson and Belknap.



#8 Jeriat

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 02:15 PM

Nice looking building... 

Still hate the result. 


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#9 Austin55

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 02:35 PM

The full block being parking is also interesting, Im sure it will be a garage in the future it maybe the church can integrate the ground floor somehow.

#10 txbornviking

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 02:52 PM

If this church were to be built, or even if the church were to purchase the lot, would that remove the property from city and county property tax rolls?



#11 ramjet

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Posted 04 August 2020 - 06:59 PM

Just my opinion, it appears to be a beautiful building.  And a church.  Someone mentioned in another thread all the cranes they observed in Austin.  Yes, there are a lot. None churches. The city 174 miles south of you could use the ministry of a vibrant church right now.  Our city is really hurting.



#12 johnfwd

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Posted 05 August 2020 - 06:50 AM

Just my opinion, it appears to be a beautiful building.  And a church.  Someone mentioned in another thread all the cranes they observed in Austin.  Yes, there are a lot. None churches. The city 174 miles south of you could use the ministry of a vibrant church right now.  Our city is really hurting.

I like the building design.  Anyone know what style of architecture?  It's difficult to argue against a church building project for downtown, even if we might have preferred a residential tower, hotel, office building, or retail at that location.

 

Does downtown Fort Worth have more or less churches than in Austin's DT?   Out of curiosity I extracted these 10 from John's Downtown grouping from his Architecture in Fort Worth website:

 

Allen Chapel A.M.E

First Christian

First Presbyterian

First United Methodist

Fourth Street Methodist

Greater St. James Baptist

Morning Chapel C.M.E.

Mt. Gilead Baptist

St. Andrews Episcopal

St. Patrick Cathedral

 

I didn't list fellowship organizations like Masonic Temple and Odd Fellows.  Leave any church out, let me know.



#13 John T Roberts

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Posted 05 August 2020 - 07:47 AM

You can remove the Fourth Street Methodist from the list.  That church eventually became the First United Methodist Church and what exists on 4th Street is just what is left of the building.  It's now on private property and is sort of a museum piece for Sundance Square.



#14 Jeriat

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Posted 05 August 2020 - 09:12 AM

Just my opinion, it appears to be a beautiful building.  And a church.  Someone mentioned in another thread all the cranes they observed in Austin.  Yes, there are a lot. None churches. The city 174 miles south of you could use the ministry of a vibrant church right now.  Our city is really hurting.

 

I wouldn't mind it if it weren't replacing a potential residential highrise, something that's severely lacking for the (essentially) 12th largest and one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. 

I'm not going to give my opinions on churches, but just this specific spot/area seems a bit ridiculous for a church and not any real vertical development, which it seems like we couldn't even sniff before the pandemic. 

It's just frustrating from CBD standpoint.


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#15 rriojas71

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Posted 05 August 2020 - 09:34 AM

What's most disappointing is not that it will be a church but the fact that they are building a parking lot right on Henderson.  I'm sure there are many better places in the UWS for this.  Not trying to knock the Church or any House of Worship but the parking could have gone behind it and not plopped right onto a major thoroughfare coming into Downtown.  Not that we lack any of those in the area of town.



#16 Nitixope

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Posted 11 August 2020 - 10:37 AM

 

It looks as though that Church is currently meeting in the Doxology Bible Church on Hulen.

 

And in 2016 made an offer on the Mount Gilead Baptist Church.

 

I had also heard that they made an offer on the Public Market.

 

I believe they had previously rented the Maddox-Muse Center at Bass Performance Hall for their Sunday morning services.  I had driven by on a Sunday morning on 4th St. and noticed their parishioners and some sandwich board signs on the sidewalk directing guests into that event space.   They may have outgrown that space or was too expensive to rent every week not to mention the headache of set-up and tear down for their own AV equipment.  Although, the parking situation with the free Sundance garages seemed more ideal for a crowd on that side of downtown.  I can't imagine the 114 or so parking spots on their rendering will be enough for a congregation that size.  Overflow parking would likely be on street or the Panther Island Pavilion surface lot unless they have an agreement with TCC to use their garage.  Maybe it's a lot smaller congregation that I imagine.



#17 Nitixope

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Posted 11 August 2020 - 10:48 AM

 

Just my opinion, it appears to be a beautiful building.  And a church.  Someone mentioned in another thread all the cranes they observed in Austin.  Yes, there are a lot. None churches. The city 174 miles south of you could use the ministry of a vibrant church right now.  Our city is really hurting.

I like the building design.  Anyone know what style of architecture?  It's difficult to argue against a church building project for downtown, even if we might have preferred a residential tower, hotel, office building, or retail at that location.

 

Does downtown Fort Worth have more or less churches than in Austin's DT?   Out of curiosity I extracted these 10 from John's Downtown grouping from his Architecture in Fort Worth website:

 

Allen Chapel A.M.E

First Christian

First Presbyterian

First United Methodist

Fourth Street Methodist

Greater St. James Baptist

Morning Chapel C.M.E.

Mt. Gilead Baptist

St. Andrews Episcopal

St. Patrick Cathedral

 

I didn't list fellowship organizations like Masonic Temple and Odd Fellows.  Leave any church out, let me know.

 

 

There's a storefront church called City Life Church at 915 Florence St. behind the Walgreens.  From their website:

 

City-Life-Parking-Map.png



#18 John T Roberts

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Posted 11 August 2020 - 12:25 PM

The church project was approved 6-0 by the DDRB.



#19 Jeriat

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Posted 11 August 2020 - 02:22 PM

The church project was approved 6-0 by the DDRB.

 

Of course...


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#20 ramjet

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Posted 11 August 2020 - 07:02 PM

 

Just my opinion, it appears to be a beautiful building.  And a church.  Someone mentioned in another thread all the cranes they observed in Austin.  Yes, there are a lot. None churches. The city 174 miles south of you could use the ministry of a vibrant church right now.  Our city is really hurting.

I like the building design.  Anyone know what style of architecture?  It's difficult to argue against a church building project for downtown, even if we might have preferred a residential tower, hotel, office building, or retail at that location.

 

Does downtown Fort Worth have more or less churches than in Austin's DT?   Out of curiosity I extracted these 10 from John's Downtown grouping from his Architecture in Fort Worth website:

 

Allen Chapel A.M.E

First Christian

First Presbyterian

First United Methodist

Fourth Street Methodist

Greater St. James Baptist

Morning Chapel C.M.E.

Mt. Gilead Baptist

St. Andrews Episcopal

St. Patrick Cathedral

 

I didn't list fellowship organizations like Masonic Temple and Odd Fellows.  Leave any church out, let me know.

 

I count four churches (with dedicated buildings) in Austin's immediate downtown:  a Baptist, a Presbyterian, a Catholic, and an Episcopal.  I am not aware of any "contemporary" types of churches in Downtown Austin, but I may not know about them.  I wouldn't describe Austin as a church town anyway, unfortunately.

 

While I am disappointed that the Worth Residences are not being built, to me the primary benefit would have been an addition to the Fort Worth skyline.  I live all around high rise condos.  They are fortresses.  Elitist.  Owned by out of town owners in many cases, not by people vested in the community.  They may be pretty, but they are not terrific neighbors.

 

Right now, these condos are surrounded by boarded up businesses, and lots of zombie homeless people.  And the endless helicopters monitoring the nightly protests are not comforting.  I live in a low rise, small condo complex immediately west of downtown (near the flagship Whole Foods if you're familiar).  We've had to call the police a few times in the last few weeks as the protestors have decided the roof of our condo is a prime spot to monitor the protests and the location of police.

 

Yes, life in Austin in 2020.  Skyline great from a distance.



#21 Jeriat

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Posted 12 August 2020 - 09:19 AM

While I am disappointed that the Worth Residences are not being built, to me the primary benefit would have been an addition to the Fort Worth skyline.  I live all around high rise condos.  They are fortresses.  Elitist.  Owned by out of town owners in many cases, not by people vested in the community.  They may be pretty, but they are not terrific neighbors.

 

Right now, these condos are surrounded by boarded up businesses, and lots of zombie homeless people.  And the endless helicopters monitoring the nightly protests are not comforting.  I live in a low rise, small condo complex immediately west of downtown (near the flagship Whole Foods if you're familiar).  We've had to call the police a few times in the last few weeks as the protestors have decided the roof of our condo is a prime spot to monitor the protests and the location of police.

 

Yes, life in Austin in 2020.  Skyline great from a distance.

 

 

No offense, but what's going on in Austin has nothing to do with condos as it is just the mindset and demographics of that city. 

People's frustration with this is that it's just another example of Fort Worth with the "Mayberry Mentality" for what is and has been a major city for DECADES, now. Sure, the economy and pandemic probably have more to do with this project's downfall than our city's history of making big time development projects difficult to happen, but downtown lacks in residential buildings compared to most cities our size, and having a prime spot for a highrise taken up by another church and another parking lot sucks. It's not even so much about the skyline as it is just being behind in several categories. 

And I'm sorry, but not everyone's religious. Not everyone has a faith and not everyone thinks putting yet another place of worship for a specific group of worshipers is really going to fix certain issues this entire country is currently facing. 


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#22 rriojas71

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Posted 12 August 2020 - 09:25 AM

That is a good perspective Ramjet.  Not all that glitters is gold.



#23 eastfwther

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Posted 12 August 2020 - 10:56 AM

That is a good perspective Ramjet.  Not all that glitters is gold.

In any city on earth, you're going to find people who dislike certain aspects of it.  That's nothing new, very subjective and everyone is entitled to an opinion. I love Fort Worth, yet there are still come things I absolutely can't stand about it.  

 

Austin has its issues, as does every city. (I doubt its issues have anything to do with the number of churches downtown) .That said, most people I know living in Austin love it...even now...and you would have to pry them away. And nothing seems to stop people from moving there.  I have three young relatives who went to college in Austin and never left. They all grew up here and found Fort Worth in some of their words "backwards, boring and slow".  Austin appealed to them and I have no doubt they are some of the protesters giving Ramjet a fit right now lol.  

 

Austin is enjoying growth, recognition and praise that most cities its size and bigger would kill for.  No city is ever all "gold" and visitors will most often have a different view then people that live there, but I love Austin. I've had a great time every time I've visited. I hate to say the city has a youthfulness to it, but to an old(er) man like me, it just does. And if I were 25 years younger, I would love to be living right in Ramjet's condo; protesters, zombies, highrises, boarded up buildings and all. 



#24 Urbndwlr

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Posted 12 August 2020 - 12:15 PM

I'm with you guys that its the opportunity cost that seems most disappointing:  a site that could potentially handle substantial residential density (certainly the two blocks - could put parking structure on one and residential building on the prominent corner.

 

A church congregation certainly has the right to build a facility in a place where that use is allowed so long as it conforms with the land use guidelines.  This design appears, from the rough preliminary rendering, relatively good.  And that surface parking lot could conceivably house something else in the future, BUT there is always the risk that they fall in love with their parking lot as First Presbyterian and First United Methodist have done.  They feel the parking lot makes their building more visible, which is important to them - certainly more than enhancing the attractiveness of the neighborhood. 

 

And yes, I'm sure all that land comes off the tax rolls.  Churches, universities, and other tax-free entities do have that automatic advantage of avoiding property tax which is a HUGE advantage.  Think if both properties (lots) would be appraised at 5MM if occupied by a larger MF building, they're paying about 140K/ yr in property tax.  Church:  zero.  Thats a very rough illustration BTW.



#25 Nitixope

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Posted 14 August 2020 - 10:05 AM

 

While I am disappointed that the Worth Residences are not being built, to me the primary benefit would have been an addition to the Fort Worth skyline.  I live all around high rise condos.  They are fortresses.  Elitist.  Owned by out of town owners in many cases, not by people vested in the community.  They may be pretty, but they are not terrific neighbors.

 

Right now, these condos are surrounded by boarded up businesses, and lots of zombie homeless people.  And the endless helicopters monitoring the nightly protests are not comforting.  I live in a low rise, small condo complex immediately west of downtown (near the flagship Whole Foods if you're familiar).  We've had to call the police a few times in the last few weeks as the protestors have decided the roof of our condo is a prime spot to monitor the protests and the location of police.

 

Yes, life in Austin in 2020.  Skyline great from a distance.

 

 

No offense, but what's going on in Austin has nothing to do with condos as it is just the mindset and demographics of that city. 

People's frustration with this is that it's just another example of Fort Worth with the "Mayberry Mentality" for what is and has been a major city for DECADES, now. Sure, the economy and pandemic probably have more to do with this project's downfall than our city's history of making big time development projects difficult to happen, but downtown lacks in residential buildings compared to most cities our size, and having a prime spot for a highrise taken up by another church and another parking lot sucks. It's not even so much about the skyline as it is just being behind in several categories. 

And I'm sorry, but not everyone's religious. Not everyone has a faith and not everyone thinks putting yet another place of worship for a specific group of worshipers is really going to fix certain issues this entire country is currently facing. 

 

 

Something about this project doesn't entirely make sense to me from a design perspective.  I thought this was more of a young, hipster type church but what I'm seeing on these renderings looks like something out of an old liturgical church playbook / being more traditional or something that would be found in the suburbs.  Seems like there could be a better use of space and some vertical expansion for growth.  I can't see there being hardly enough space for them to accommodate worship, classrooms, childcare, parking, dining space etc.  I'd like to know what phase II and III looks like. 



#26 eastfwther

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Posted 14 August 2020 - 10:58 AM

It's a shame that there was never a real plan for cohesive development of this area between downtown and W 7th.  I remember many years ago, the area was branded as Upper West Side or something like that, but it never really took off.  It would've been nice to have a dense, pedestrian friendly area where you could stroll easily from your home into downtown/Sundance Square.  But instead, the area really is a hodgepodge mess. This church looks pretty nice, but I agree  that it really doesn't bring anything substantial to the area besides filling up a parking lot on Sundays. 



#27 Volare

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Posted 14 August 2020 - 08:18 PM

Regarding churches in Austin, there is at least one massive contemporary church that meets in multiple locations in Austin:

 

https://austinstone.org

 

When I visited- probably 8-10 years ago- they were meeting in a public high school gym. A very big gym. There were at least a thousand in attendance.

 

YMMV.



#28 Austin55

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Posted 14 August 2020 - 09:19 PM

It's a shame that there was never a real plan for cohesive development of this area between downtown and W 7th.  I remember many years ago, the area was branded as Upper West Side or something like that, but it never really took off.  It would've been nice to have a dense, pedestrian friendly area where you could stroll easily from your home into downtown/Sundance Square.  But instead, the area really is a hodgepodge mess. This church looks pretty nice, but I agree  that it really doesn't bring anything substantial to the area besides filling up a parking lot on Sundays. 

 

This little quadrant north of Weatherford is a little more planned as it was in the Panther Island zone. Remember that The Worth developers actually changed the zoning of the block from Panther Island to Downtown to allow more height on the block.



#29 Jeriat

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Posted 14 August 2020 - 10:15 PM

 

It's a shame that there was never a real plan for cohesive development of this area between downtown and W 7th.  I remember many years ago, the area was branded as Upper West Side or something like that, but it never really took off.  It would've been nice to have a dense, pedestrian friendly area where you could stroll easily from your home into downtown/Sundance Square.  But instead, the area really is a hodgepodge mess. This church looks pretty nice, but I agree  that it really doesn't bring anything substantial to the area besides filling up a parking lot on Sundays. 

 

This little quadrant north of Weatherford is a little more planned as it was in the Panther Island zone. Remember that The Worth developers actually changed the zoning of the block from Panther Island to Downtown to allow more height on the block.

 

 

And that makes it all the more frustrating... 


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#30 Nitixope

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Posted 11 September 2020 - 11:01 AM

Found this posted back in February 2020....Lead Pastor, Jim Essian, discussed their requirements for a new facility:

 

What we’re looking for:

Downtown building or land, or combination thereof

30,000 sq ft. min.

750 seats & sufficient classroom space

Access to at least 350 parking spaces

 

https://www.theparad...from-pastor-jim

 

 

 

He also mentioned that their attendance numbers (pre-COVID) were at 841 back in February.  I'd be curious if that current design sticks from what was presented to the DDRB on 8/6/20.  From my experience, if they are pushing close to 1,000 in attendance at one service, they'll need a lot more space or go to multiple services.  With church design, childcare capacity can become one of the limiting factors.  Some churches have seen up to a 2:1 child-to-adult attendance ratio which seems sort of high but with more single parents, I can see that or if they bring friends or relatives.  I've seen some churches oversize their child care area in order to offset this and staff-to-child ratios plays a factor too for what is allowed per classroom.  They almost need to do multiple service times and space out the start and finish times to handle the turnover.  Parking and security/traffic control can also be a limiting factor unless they have unrestricted access to on-street parking then I guess it's everybody else's problem to figure out.



#31 Nitixope

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Posted 15 September 2020 - 08:59 PM

I made a few notes and screen shots from the August 6, 2020 Downtown Design Review Board meeting.  The Owner’s Rep, Lead Pastor Jim Essian and the Architect, Scott Martsolf, presented the conceptual design for approval. Martsolf Architecture is based in Fort Worth with an office downtown and he specializes in worship space.  He designed both Christ Chapel Bible Church as well as Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington, among others.  I’ve been in both of these churches and am equally impressed with their design. 

 

Notes:

  • This is the 10th site in their search process
  • Phase I: 30,000 SQFT Building 3-1/2 Levels
  • Phase II: Building to be expanded to the north via a skybridge, relocating the children’s area to the north expansion and using the original education space for a community space.
  • 6-0 vote in favor with board’s request for further site level details as far as how the design incorporates the surrounding streets and sidewalks.
  • Civil Engineer: Dunaway & Associates

 

Key Design Elements:

  • Goal is to engage the church with the sidewalk and the community.
  • 120-foot steeple
  • Dark Bronze Standing Seam Metal Roof
  • Overall look is traditional with a modern feel
  • Exterior color palette: black and white with gold touches
  • Patios surrounding the building at street level
  • Main entrance under steeple and from north

Site Challenges:

  • Sloping grade along Henderson St. from south to north

The plan presented to accommodate growth is to expand north where the parking lot is currently and to build a parking structure combined education facility connected via skybridge to Phase I.  This is just my observation but the potential to immediately outgrow Phase I space and parking would be likely.  Phase II accounts for additional parking and classroom space, but how would the sanctuary and supporting areas be expanded, if at all?  Seems to be a general lack of a fellowship hall or banqueting area, backstage space, practice rooms, staff space, green room and other supporting spaces seems pretty limited from what I can see on the drawings, but they are still in conceptual phase and a little hard to read in detail.  They can’t really expand up or out for additional seating capacity.

 

(Sorry for the black boxes. I thought I should redacted the online meeting window, mainly DDRB  conference call info.)

 

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#32 Jeriat

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Posted 16 September 2020 - 09:16 AM

I made a few notes and screen shots from the August 6, 2020 Downtown Design Review Board meeting.  The Owner’s Rep, Lead Pastor Jim Essian and the Architect, Scott Martsolf, presented the conceptual design for approval. Martsolf Architecture is based in Fort Worth with an office downtown and he specializes in worship space.  He designed both Christ Chapel Bible Church as well as Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington, among others.  I’ve been in both of these churches and am equally impressed with their design. 

 

Notes:

  • This is the 10th site in their search process
  • Phase I: 30,000 SQFT Building 3-1/2 Levels
  • Phase II: Building to be expanded to the north via a skybridge, relocating the children’s area to the north expansion and using the original education space for a community space.
  • 6-0 vote in favor with board’s request for further site level details as far as how the design incorporates the surrounding streets and sidewalks.
  • Civil Engineer: Dunaway & Associates

 

Key Design Elements:

  • Goal is to engage the church with the sidewalk and the community.
  • 120-foot steeple
  • Dark Bronze Standing Seam Metal Roof
  • Overall look is traditional with a modern feel
  • Exterior color palette: black and white with gold touches
  • Patios surrounding the building at street level
  • Main entrance under steeple and from north

Site Challenges:

  • Sloping grade along Henderson St. from south to north

The plan presented to accommodate growth is to expand north where the parking lot is currently and to build a parking structure combined education facility connected via skybridge to Phase I.  This is just my observation but the potential to immediately outgrow Phase I space and parking would be likely.  Phase II accounts for additional parking and classroom space, but how would the sanctuary and supporting areas be expanded, if at all?  Seems to be a general lack of a fellowship hall or banqueting area, backstage space, practice rooms, staff space, green room and other supporting spaces seems pretty limited from what I can see on the drawings, but they are still in conceptual phase and a little hard to read in detail.  They can’t really expand up or out for additional seating capacity.

 

(Sorry for the black boxes. I thought I should redacted the online meeting window, mainly DDRB  conference call info.)

 

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This would be a great asset... in Old Town Keller or Burleson. 

(Yes, I know I'm being overly salty, here, but I just can't grasp the missed opportunity for this space.)


7fwPZnE.png

 

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#33 JBB

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Posted 16 September 2020 - 09:19 AM

I can see how the lack of surface and vacant lots downtown makes this one tough to swallow.



#34 Nitixope

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Posted 16 September 2020 - 05:44 PM

 

 

 

This would be a great asset... in Old Town Keller or Burleson. 

(Yes, I know I'm being overly salty, here, but I just can't grasp the missed opportunity for this space.)

 

 

I like the concept design, I just sort of wonder what kind of budget and fundraising would be involved to pull this off?  Building downtown, not to mention building anywhere, is really expensive.  I've personally experienced how a big construction project and big mortgage can bury a congregation alive, even after 40-years worshiping together.  Many of the people that said "sign me up" are nowhere to be found 10 years later when you still have half the principle left to pay and support a huge operating budget.  They were paying $33,000 / month on $5,000,000 principle balance with a building that was half-finished out.  It really boils down to how much giving....how many attend and give regularly as well as managing costs and operating budgets wisely.  Also considering payroll costs, churches typically have staff that are 20 or 30 people deep on the small side could cost well over $1M per year, where back in the day, it was a pastor, assistant pastor, an admin and a custodian and everything else was done on a volunteer basis out of the generosity of the church members.  Now, there's often 7 or 8 pastors, paid childcare workers, paid sound, paid band, paid security, social media, video etc to run the weekly services.

 

The upside for Paradox is they appear to have the buy-in of the city so far, so if they have their ducks in a row on the project financing, I'd be excited to see what comes of the design.



#35 Nitixope

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Posted 27 September 2020 - 04:38 PM

I drove by the site today and took a few photos of its current condition.

 

This shot below, you would be standing on the stage / altar looking toward the back of the sanctuary:

X72ojTe.jpg

 

This is the back side of the new surface parking lot and future parking structure / education space:

La5daGq.jpg

 

 

 

Here you would be standing at the front entrance of the church looking in toward the main auditorium / sanctuary:

JCNTnNd.jpg

 

New parking lot / future phase II:

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#36 Nitixope

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Posted 27 September 2020 - 09:10 PM

Here's the real estate sales packet for the site with more details and some cool drone shots:

 

https://images1.loop...Eo/document.pdf

• ± 67,142 SF Total

Northern Tract: 37,896 SF

Southern Tract: 29,246 SF

(Up to 77,412 SF w/partial closure of W Bluff St)

• ± 465’ SF Frontage on N. Henderson

• Zoned “H” - Business District & “J” - Medium Industrial

• Platted, entitled and ready for development

• Replat and zoning completed in 2018

• Located in Downtown Fort Worth Inc’s Downtown TIF District

• Directly Across from Tarrant County College’s Downtown Campus

 



#37 Nitixope

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Posted 27 September 2020 - 09:20 PM

Paradox Church will be presenting to the DDRB this Thursday afternoon.  I believe they were asked to provide further details on the streetscapes design as mentioned in the agenda posted online:

MEETING AGENDA DOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW BOARD

October 1, 2020 Public Hearing: 3:30pm

 

NEW CASES
DG20 – 015 900 W. Belknap Street
Owner: Capital Development Partners, LLC – Kyle Paulson
Applicant: Paradox Church - Jim Essian
Requests a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct a three (3) story church
and surface level parking lot with waivers from the setback standard and
streetscape standards (tree, tree grates, sidewalk width and pedestrian lights).

 

 


#38 Urbndwlr

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Posted 30 September 2020 - 01:36 PM

Will be interested to see their proposed plan.  Wondering if waivers from setback standard and streetscape standards means they, like too many churches, desire to set their buildings way back on the site and don't want any pesky trees blocking the view of their building.  Hope not.



#39 Nitixope

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Posted 30 September 2020 - 05:40 PM

Elevations above indicate a fair amount of foliage. I believe the Owners rep expressed their desire to engage the pedestrian. I believe their goal is to draw folks in not make it seem exclusive. Not a lot of room on that lot to move the structure back too far either. Step out the front door and you are practically standing on Henderson. Theres a patio space to the south for gatherings without blocking the sidewalk. The parking lot will follow same standard as Sundance lots.

#40 Nitixope

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Posted 06 October 2020 - 08:51 PM

I was thinking about Christ Chapel and the similarity to the new Paradox Church design....both by architect Scott Martsolf.  I'd be curious what the height of this steeple is?  Do you think it is more or less than 120-feet?  This is really going to grab my attention driving down Belknap toward Henderson.

 

(took this on my phone)

 

F1OzygD.jpg



#41 Nitixope

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Posted 15 November 2020 - 12:15 AM

Paradox church launched a fundraising campaign.  Projected facility cost of $8.5M.  Some new renderings of the project were posted as well as a live stage production event they had onsite to kick-off the campaign took place on Nov 6, 2020 at the 900 W Belknap site.  As far as I can tell reading through the notes, the $8M fundraising goal is split into two parts: $3.5M to continue funding the ministry operations and $4.5M would go towards building the new facility with the remaining balance from the $8.5M construction budget (not fundraised from the campaign) will be financed, I would guess through some type of construction loan. 

 

On a side note, I would have guessed the budget was more around $10 to $15M but that's not based on any hard data.  A lot of that really depends on a couple factors: a. getting actual estimates from a general contractor and subs taking into account current labor an material prices  b. what level of finishes are going to be spec'd?  A lot of churches of this scale typically incorporate some higher-end woods and other better quality material throughout in addition to a nicer lighting package and higher-end exterior materials on the façade and roof (standing seam metal).  One "gotcha" expense on these new churches is the stage production equipment costs. You can easily spend $500K to $750K or more on sound, stage lights, speaker arrays, subs, amps, cameras, mixing consoles (front of house and monitors) and other production technology unless maybe they already have their own mobile set-up that can be utilized?  A lot of churches that build new end up buying all new stage equipment as part of their overall budget so that everything can be fully installed and functionally tested during construction and then acoustically tuned to the space knowing that it will be 100% functional rather than using old equipment that has been set-up and torn down over and over, broken cables, undersized or oversized PA etc.  Another thing is the technology package for the systems infrastructure, data cabling, wireless access points, security cameras, access control, building automation, lighting controls, A/V in the education and classrooms, office configurations, overflow seating with PA and A/V ready etc.  Most churches are building their own broadcast / editing suites too because of the virtual environment we're in today and that's typically a lot more involved than someone running a laptop in the back.  And those nice padded church chairs and new furniture for offices, classrooms....you'd be shocked what that all costs in total.

 

https://www.theparad...urch.com/desire

 

https://www.theparad...m/tdi-resources

 

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#42 Nitixope

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Posted 16 November 2020 - 04:44 PM

If you're going to build a church or concert venue downtown and have an unlimited budget, this is the design I would go for.  How cool would it be to drive by and see what is happening inside a place like this and to have the city as your backdrop?

(Appel Room at Lincoln Center - New York)

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#43 Nitixope

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Posted 22 December 2020 - 08:55 AM

Some "Land FAQ's" were posted on the Paradox Church website. https://www.theparad...faqs?rq=belknap
 
I get an uneasy feeling with these lease-to-purchase agreements especially with a hot piece of land downtown.  They should focus on buying the land and then building the building.  Unless it is a business deal, I would never build something on a piece of land I don't own especially if they're going to finance half of the construction.  This is the church member's money.  Also, with a 100-year lease, can you get out of that should something change between now and when they break ground?  I wonder how property tax increases work?  I'm guessing the lessor is on the hook for all of the property tax and wouldn't that property tax be passed on to the church members through the lease?  If they just bought the land outright, then it would be tax-exempt.  The two parcels are currently appraised at $3,262,300 with 2020 taxes of $92,945.29.  That's $7,745 per month in property taxes.  Maybe I'm oversimplifying this, I'd love to hear an accountant's take on this. 
 
Based on other churches that are either built and under construction, Tarrant County typically lists these exemptions for religious groups that own their land and the tax rolls show $0:
  • RELIGIOUS 3 YR CONSTRUCTION 11.20(j)
  • RELIGIOUS 11.20
Here's some key takeaways from their site:
 

  • A. [the land] a lease to purchase agreement. B. Weve locked in the purchase price and can purchase it anytime. C. Its a 100 year lease, but D. We will, Lord willing, purchase it around year four. The lease agreement (in the first four years) costs the same as paying interest only on the purchase price
  • for over 100 years, no new church has been planted in Downtown and stayed there; it either didnt last or it moved out of Downtown. 
  • The structure will be around 27,000 sq ft. It will seat 800 (with plans for a future balcony that will seat 250 more). It will have about seven classrooms for the kiddos. It has a small space for staff offices. Parking will be on the North lot and we are in the process of signing a lease with TCC to use their parking garage as well.
  • We hope to break ground in January of 2021 and to be in before Easter of 2022!


#44 Volare

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Posted 28 December 2020 - 09:29 PM

Here's some key takeaways from their site:

 

 

  • for over 100 years, no new church has been planted in Downtown and stayed there; it either didnt last or it moved out of Downtown. 

 

 

That's certainly debatable.



#45 Nitixope

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Posted 28 December 2020 - 10:43 PM

 

Here's some key takeaways from their site:

 

 

  • for over 100 years, no new church has been planted in Downtown and stayed there; it either didnt last or it moved out of Downtown. 

 

 

That's certainly debatable.

 

 

The pastor had mentioned in the DDRB meeting or one of his video addresses that their goal is to build a 200-year building or a building that would last 200-years, I don't remember the exact phrasing.  I'm curious what does that look like in this day and age as far as construction and design?  I think it is possible to accomplish that goal but you may need to use other materials and methods, I'm thinking of the great university buildings and cathedrals that were built across the United States.  A lot of buildings start to show their age after only 30 or 40-years.  Dickies Arena is a great example of new construction that has a timelessness about it and they didn't hold back on design and materials either and it will likely last for many years to come...hopefully 200-years!



#46 Nitixope

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Posted 30 December 2020 - 01:56 AM

Some signage up at the corner of Henderson and Belknap.

WIW4X5o.jpg

 

8TDsbSB.jpg



#47 Austin55

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Posted 18 March 2021 - 12:43 AM

Filed with TDLR

https://www.tdlr.tex.../TABS2021011411



#48 Nitixope

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Posted 14 June 2021 - 03:05 PM

Groundbreaking event announced: June 27, 2021
6:00pm 8:00pm
 
LOCATION
Paradox Land
900 W Belknap St
Fort Worth, TX 76102
 
Registration site
 
(Food trucks too)
 
3k3pSQm.png
 
Funds raised to-date:
 
S4Zv4EY.png
 
Here's a photo I took 6/12/21 evening.  This is going to be quite a recognizable landmark when completed.  This beats a bank or QT in my opinion.  FAQ's
 
(If your stomach starts growling during church service, you can run next door to Taco Bell.)
fdWDT5p.jpg
 
Here's some more images / renderings / aerials from the church:
Vq76sLY.jpg
 
4b8ueJy.jpg
 
This is quite the front entrance.  It appears to be a cross-section.
5OPjVa7.jpg
 
DpieNbB.jpg
 
LHQ8iMh.jpg

#49 Nitixope

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Posted 27 June 2021 - 01:22 AM

Paradox Church groundbreaking ceremony is tonight (Sunday) at 6pm.



#50 renamerusk

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Posted 27 June 2021 - 09:36 AM

Is only a specific kind of commercial development allowed near a faith institution that has decided to build in an already established  commercial district?  I am purely speculating that a FI, such as First United Methodist Church, might want to maintain a buffer area (parking)  to control the kind of development surrounding its sanctuary.







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