Gentrification — and the lack of parking that goes with it — is forcing a church out of its longtime Bedford Stuyvesant home, according to its pastor.
Antioch Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ plans to move after more than 30 years at 1259 Bedford Avenue, DNAinfo reported. Bishop Michael Jackson blames the addition of New Hotels Along Atlantic Avenue for increased traffic and lack of parking in the area.
“As you can see there’s gentrification going on over there,” Jackson told DNAinfo. “We already had a problem with parking, it was a major issue with us in the last 10 years. All the different high-end stores moving into the area are making it very difficult for us to have any type of parking. It’s stunting the growth of the church.”
Another church in the neighborhood, Trinity Apostolic Church, sold its property in January and moved to Crown Heights, citing similar parking issues for its members. The church sold 967 Bedford Avenue for $4.7 million, and the property is now being converted into a four-story mixed-use building. [DNAinfo] — Kathryn Brenzel