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Two major real estate firms are moving forward with plans to acquire a prominent Upper West Side church property and redevelop part of the site into housing, according to a report by Crain’s New York Business.

Rockefeller Group and Atlas Capital Group have entered into a contract with the Roman Catholic Church of Holy Name of Jesus and Saint Gregory the Great to purchase the property at 200 West 97th Street for $96 million. The deal is expected to close this spring. (The church’s address is 207 West 96th Street.)

Under the proposal, developers plan to construct a new mixed-income rental building on portions of the church campus near Amsterdam Avenue that are currently occupied by former school, convent, and recreation buildings. The existing church and rectory would remain in place, while the parish would receive nearly 9,500 square feet of newly built space as part of the project, Crain’s reported.

Demolition plans can be seen in recent DOB filings.

While specific building dimensions have not yet been disclosed, the developers intend to utilize the state’s 485-x affordable housing tax incentive program, which replaced the former 421-a program in 2024. The move would require roughly 25 percent of the building’s residential units to be set aside as affordable housing. Plans also call for ground-floor retail space at the southwest corner of West 97th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

Rockefeller Group has previously developed several high-profile projects across New York City, including the 2.6 million-square-foot office tower at 1221 Sixth Avenue, a 35-story residential building on the Upper East Side, and The Dupont, a 41-story rental tower in Greenpoint. Atlas Capital Group’s portfolio includes a 100-unit condominium building at 80 Clarkson Street and a 17-story residential building at 570 Washington Street, both located in the West Village.

According to Crain’s, the transaction reflects a broader citywide trend of religious institutions selling off real estate holdings that are then redeveloped into residential properties. Recent examples include a former Harlem church site purchased for redevelopment and a Chelsea church property slated for two new residential towers. The Archdiocese has also sold several high-profile assets, including its former Midtown headquarters, which is now planned for conversion into hundreds of apartments.

We’ve reached out to the church for a statement and will post updates when we know more.

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