For a long while, it looked as though plans to renovate the former Salvation Army building atop Coles Hill didn’t stand a prayer.
Talk of a makeover began soon after the church decamped for Long Pond Road almost a decade ago. A local couple, Edward and Ayli Gates, bought the distinctive – but neglected – Carver Street property for $1.2 million in 2018. They had a vision of turning it into an events venue. Various town boards agreed with their thinking.
Deep-pocketed neighbor Brad Cushing did not. He filed two lawsuits to scuttle the project.
The Gateses – who are financial supporters of the Independent – eventually won in court. But by the time site work got underway in 2023, Ed was turning 70 and facing mandatory retirement as managing partner at the Boston law firm Wolf Greenfield. Taking on the expense and stress of a major rehab job no longer seemed wise, he said.
The couple put the 113-year-old building up for sale at an asking price of $2 million. There were no takers until earlier this year, when along came Richard Rosen, a veteran Whitman developer with his own vision: converting the space into condominiums.
After months spent navigating the labyrinth of boards, committees, and paperwork the town’s exhaustive approval process entails, Rosen this week received a crucial sign-off from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Before Monday’s unanimous decision – which came with some minor conditions related to drainage, parking, and maintenance issues – Rosen addressed the board members during a meeting at Town Hall.
“My history has been I do what I’m told to do or asked to do, within reason, and then I do it,” he said. “We’ve agreed to do everything that you’ve asked for.”
The building, with its stained-glass windows and unparalleled Plymouth Harbor vista, is structurally solid but needs intensive TLC, he said.
“If you’ve driven by it lately … it’s in tough shape. The kids have been back in there spraying graffiti all over the building,” Rosen told the Zoning Board. “It looks like hell, frankly.”
“I understand that it’s an awesome responsibility to take that historical piece of property and bring it back to what it once was,” he added. “And I’m pledging to you that’s what I’ll do, and I’ll do it with pride and joy to see it done.”
Rosen has also offered to pay $100,000 into the town’s affordable housing fund in lieu of selling one of the units at a below-market “affordable” price.
He has signed a purchase and sale agreement with the Gateses and hopes to finalize the $1.85 million deal by the end of the year. Pending permits and other details, work could start during the winter and be finished by August. Rosen estimates it will require at least another $2 million.
Plans for the three-level building call for seven one-bedroom units and a showcase two-bedroom condo on the top floor.
“I’m referring to it as the penthouse,” Rosen said. “It has the most amazing views ever.”
The units will range in size from 610 to 1,200 square feet, likely attracting single occupants or couples. There will be an assigned parking space for each home, with an extra one for the two-bedroom. With the costs of goods and interest rates rising, he said, it’s too early to set prices.
In an interview Wednesday, Rosen sounded relieved and eager to move forward.
“I just want to start this project and do what I believe is the right thing in the Town of Plymouth. I’m very excited,” he said.
Once the sale is recorded, he said, “the first thing I want to do is clean up the outside of the building.
“A contractor is going to make the brick look like it’s new again. The inside of the building is completely gutted; there is virtually nothing left. We have a little more demo to do. And then we’ll start putting this thing together. I’m keeping every pane of stained glass.”
In an earlier story, Assistant Town Manager Lauren Lind said housing such as the Salvation Army condos aligns with a comprehensive planning template the Planning Board adopted in March.
“What we heard through all of our engagement [with residents] was that housing is a need – specifically, types of housing that are alternatives to your standard single-family home,” she said.
“The location of it is suitable for people who may want to live and work in the downtown,” Lind said. “They can walk to goods and services, so that would be in keeping with the comprehensive plan as well.”
This won’t be Rosen’s first church project. In 2013, he turned a former Baptist church in his hometown into 15 apartments. His goal with the Salvation Army building, which was originally the First Baptist Church of Plymouth, is to make it postcard-worthy.
“I’ve been reminded 50 times that there have been more photos taken up on that hill than any place else in town,” he said. “I want this church to stand out. If people turn around from the ocean and look at the church, I want them to say, ‘Geez, that’s a pretty good-looking building.’”
Mark Pothier can be reached at mark@plymouthindependent.org.