We are excited to announce that we have closed on the purchase of the former Bank of America property (1214 Crozet Ave) for our new church!
The all-volunteer work to renovate the building began the afternoon of September 25 after we received confirmation of the closing. We made excellent progress in the demolition, but there is plenty of work to be done. The work will continue through this week and next, and you are welcome to stop by to help (or to bring water/snacks) when you have available time.
Our Lady of the Rosary and the Diocese of Richmond have successfully bid for the purchase of the former Bank of America building on Crozet Ave.
The next step will be to close on the property in thirty days. Although nothing is final until closing, we have every intention of proceeding to closing. When we take possession, we will be working to transform the space to be suitable for Mass. The plan is to celebrate our first Mass on Saturday evening, October 7 th , the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary. This will be the only “Sunday” Mass for that weekend. Thereafter, we will be returning to our 10:00 a.m. Mass time. NOTE: these dates are subject to change.
The renovations will take time, and from time to time it will seem like we are celebrating Mass on a building site. But I am sure that most of us would prefer to= celebrate in our own space rather than renting from others. I plan on working with Dixon Studios of Staunton, Virginia who are Catholic Liturgical designers to develop ideas for the renovation. I will also be reforming the Building Committee into two committees, one to deal with the renovation of the building and a second to restart the Capital Campaign. There will obviously need to be opportunities for regular updates. I will try to be available for questions, but we will have to work out those details later. In addition, we will be reinvigorating the Capital Campaign.
Again, to everyone congratulations! I want to give special thanks to Mike Marshall, Frank Ceronne, Julie Bowns, all our staff (present and past), all the members of the Building Committee, Parish Leadership Committee, Pastoral Councils and Finance Councils through the years, all the parishioners who began this project well before I arrived on the scene, and all the parishioners whose generosity have made this day possible.
In Christ,
Msgr. Tim Keeney
OLR Location Survey Results
Msgr. Keeney and the Building Committee appreciate the feedback and will take the survey responses and the many thoughtful comments into consideration as we move forward to find a location for our church building. Thank you!
We received 124 responses to our survey:
Using the 4-way intersection of Crozet Ave & Three Notch'd Road (Dairy Queen) as the center reference point, please select the farthest distance you would be willing to have the church located.
Here are the results:
After surveying the Hillsboro Lane properties and consulting with VDOT, we have determined that this location will not be feasible for our purposes, and have canceled the contracts for the Hillsboro Land and Half Mile Branch properties. I would have liked to give you this news in person at Mass, but I wanted to meet with the building committee first and will not be able to be with you this coming weekend. The building committee continues to work on alternative sites. Please continue to pray for our Mission.
~Msgr. Tim Keeney 1/7/2022
We now have a signed contract to purchase a small property on Hillsboro Lane that is adjacent to the property we already contracted to purchase on Half Mile Branch Rd. The purchase of this additional property will allow better access to the larger property where the church will be built, and hopefully will alleviate the neighbors' concerns with the original property purchase. We still have a long way to go with our due diligence studies for both contract purchases.
~August 2021
Our Lady of the Rosary parish currently has a purchase agreement for an 11+ acre parcel on Half Mile Branch Road near the intersection of Hillsboro Lane. Over the next year, we will work with engineers and architects on a plan to accommodate our parish needs. This includes a church building which would seat approximately 300 people and required parking. As we develop our site plan (after preliminary tests are completed) we intend to meet with surrounding property owners to let them know of our plans. As with all religious assembly buildings in Albemarle County, we are required to submit an application for a Special Use Permit which will be reviewed by County staff and presented to the Board of Supervisors for a determination. The site plans to be submitted for review by Albemarle County Community Development will comply with all applicable land use requirements such as Stormwater Management (VSMP), the Water Protection Ordinance, and Erosion and Sediment Programs. During the County site plan review, multiple departments, including the VA Department of Transportation, Fire/Rescue, and Engineering will review and comment on the plans. We welcome the opportunity to work with the County to find a permanent home for Our Lady of the Rosary in Crozet.
~June 2021
Please support our capital campaign and join us in building the Catholic Church in Crozet!