OK given for St. Peter's Church to build housing project

by Karen M. Kinney

After exploring all options and exhausting every opportunity to preserve history, the San Francisco Planning Commission has finally given the OK to demolish St. Peter's Church on 29th Avenue to make way for a 20-unit affordable-housing residence for adults with developmental disabilities. The action culminates efforts to restore parish property damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Because the church was originally built in 1913 on bricks and unstable sand, retrofitting the existing church after the earthquake proved disadvantageous. The sanctuary has not been used in 18 years.

According to William Ho, project manager at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC), the first phase of the demolition, which starts in May, will be shoring up and stabilizing the adjacent Parish Hall. The wooden Parish Hall building will be remodeled to provide an "innovative" space for worship and office space. Construction is slated to begin in August and will take a year and a half to complete.

Most members of St. Peter's congregation are pleased with the Planning Commission's decision and feel the church has a calling to be of service to those in need in the community.

"I believe that our mission is to provide an open community for people to thrive," said Linda Griffith, a member for 16 years. "We are an essential part of this community and I believe adding the housing piece brings it full circle."

David Ricky, the rector at St. Peter's, is confident for the future of the church.

"Because we knew the church could not be restored, we were concerned about how we would survive," Ricky said. "We took a step back and got clear on what our strengths were as a parish and how we could draw out the strengths of the community. Providing housing is our statement to show that people of faith need to be caring for people around us who have needs."

To determine how St. Peter's could use its property to better serve the community, it worked with Opportunity Unlimited, a training program for developmentally-disabled people, to create a viable scenario. Opportunity Unlimited already rents the existing Parish Hall to provide day programs for adults with disabilities to help keep them a part of the community.

According to BHNC, in all of San Francisco there are only eight affordable apartments for developmentally-disabled people. Ricky realized these adults were an underserved population so he wanted to provide more independent living opportunities for them so they could maximize their potential.

During the renovation Opportunity Unlimited will conduct its program at a Baptist church on 18th Avenue between Geary Boulevard and Clement Street.

Ricky said the church was sad to see the participants go because their vibrant personalities brought him joy and he looked forward to interacting with them every day.

"We will miss their energy and excitement to live," Ricky said. "It was so amazing watching them learn, teaching them how to live in the world and their ability to be present in the moment."

Also spearheading the effort is Joseph Smooke, executive director at BHNC. In 2003, while participating in some interfaith groups to address Richmond District issues, Ricky and Smooke started the tedious task of getting the Diocese, mayor's office and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD), which is funding the project with a $2 million grant, to all agree to the plan.

The plan meets a citywide goal of providing more affordable housing. BHNC has 25 years of experience developing low-income, affordable housing in San Francisco. However, the St. Peter's project will be the first building specifically geared toward developmentally-disabled adults.

A question initially raised by skeptics of the demolition of the church is where would St. Peter's hold its services?

"That's been the most amazing thing about this journey," said Ricky. "Just when you start to worry about what is going to happen, a new partnership arises and we can provide more help to communities and serve their needs."

St. Peter has joined forces with the Interfaith Chapel at the Presidio, where services have been held since the beginning of March.

Ricky could not be happier.

"Between building the housing units and becoming involved with Interfaith, our vision has changed and expanded to see what it means to be a worshiping and serving congregation," he said.

A major obstacle the church, BHNC and HUD encountered was the ongoing state budget crisis. Ho had to navigate his way through the unprecedented economic situation because the budget dilemma stopped free flowing credit.

"This would have been a cake walk" if there hadn't been a budget freeze, Ho said. "When the budget situation thawed out a little, we knew that was a good sign."

Once the housing units are built, there will be an application process where people will have to meet certain criteria, including having a disability and required income. The BHNC will also follow the history of guidelines for getting housing funds from the City.

Once reviewed, and the applicants meet the criteria, a lottery system will be set up and applications will be sealed and given a number before being drawn at random.