Little Neck Church Saved By Land Deal Closure

It seems almost every day another long established Little Neck staple closes its doors.

First it was , then the  and most recently, .

Fortunately for the congregants of the , the house of worship they've called home for over 85 years isn't joining that list of vanished institutions — that is, anytime soon.

On Thursday, church pastor Paul Drake announced the closing of a deal with Browvale Development LLC to sell an unused parcel in the back of the church located at 46-16 Little Neck Pkwy.

Dorothy Matinale of Station Realty in Douglaston represented the church in the transaction, which cleared yesterday for an undisclosed amount. The development company, formed by father-and-son Tim O'Sullivan and Tim O'Sullivan, Jr., plans to construct three homes and a commercial property on the subdivided site.

"It's been a bumpy ride, but the future is here and things are looking up," said Richard Loffler, who chairs the Board of Trustees for the church. 

Five years in the making, the just-closed real estate deal is a huge victory for the Community Church of Little Neck, which at the beginning of the month was just , but now — thanks in no small part to this real estate transaction —is making plans for the future.

"First thing on our 'to-do' list is to give our facilities a face lift," Drake said. "We'd like to modernize ... put in handicapped accessible restrooms, repave the parking lot and paint.”

According to church officials, this work will lay the foundation for some big possibilities.

"We're considering a lot of new initiatives," Loffler said. "We'd love to open a senior center, provided there's enough interest in the community."

Other possibilities include starting a day care service and opening up the Church to local community groups in need of a facility to host meetings.

With the checks already deposited in the bank, the church is preparing for some well-deserved celebration.

"We're just so happy," said Joan Tosh, a longtime Little Neck resident and secretary at the Community Church. "It would have been hard to imagine the Little Neck Community with out the Community Church of Little Neck."

As a way of thanking their parishioners who have faithfully stood by them these past couple of years, the Community Church of Little Neck will be hosting a small gathering after mass on Sunday.

"We'd be delighted to celebrate our good news with everyone in the community," Pastor Drake said, extending a warm invitation to anyone interested in attending Sunday's celebration.

Looking ahead to the future, Pastor Drake said he's excited that his church now has the funds to do more community outreach.

"It's just nice to not have money be an issue anymore," Drake said. "I can finally focus all of my attention back on doing the Lord's work."