A charitable group affiliated with Grace Community Church now owns all 75 acres of what was formerly Windsome Farms on Lukes Wood Road.
A group of church members, operating as Grace Property Holdings, LLC, originally bought a 48-acre parcel for $30 million on July 31, 2008. In 2009, the group formed a new foundation, the Grace Farms Foundation, Inc. and two days later, on Dec. 30, purchased the remaining 27 acres for $10 million. The group bought both parcels from Pacific Farms, LLC.
Sharon Prince, a principal in the new foundation, says all the land was purchased "as an act of charity" to preserve the open space for the benefit of the church and the community at large. The property had previously been zoned as a 10-lot subdivision.
"The new purchase and the consolidated oversight of the 75 acres assure that the combined space will permanently retain its current character. Any development of the property is intended to be minimally invasive," Prince said in an e-mail.
The group's plans to build a sanctuary on the property, first floated in 2007, have been tied up in legal appeals. The project is now back in the design phase and won't break ground until 2011.
The church administration recently started moving into existing buildings on the property, but services are still being held at Saxe Middle School.
