It’s a new beginning for this church.
A Williamsburg developer with already more than a dozen residential projects under his belt in the north Brooklyn neighborhood has filed plans to transform the site of a 20th-century church into modern apartments, records show.
Idan Shitrit, co-founder of boutique real estate firm Investmates, submitted permits to the Department of Buildings this week to erect a 5-story residential building with 13 units at 199 N. Fifth St. in place of what’s now the New Beginnings Church of WIlliamsburg, city records show. It’s unclear if the church is still active or has moved elsewhere; its clergy did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Completed in 1920, the house of worship, between Driggs Avenue and Roebling Street, was sold earlier this year to Investmates for $4.4 million, according to a deed that appeared in the city register in January. Shitrit signed the deed on behalf of the buyer, and Jamie Zelaya, New Beginnings’ pastor, signed on behalf of the seller, records show. About a month later, Shitrit also signed for a $10 million loan from Midtown-based investment firm S3 Capital, records show.
Jacob “Koby” Telyas, co-founder at Investmates, filed permits to bulldoze the existing roughly 4,290-square-foot building in 2023, even before the firm had acquired the property, records show. It’s unclear, however, what came of the paperwork as the building appears to still be standing, and updated permits to partially demolish the structure were filed last month, according to Department of Buildings records.
The proposed new building would encompass 11,350 square feet and include the 13 dwelling units, although it’s unclear at this time if they would be rentals or condos. Investmates’ portfolio, which is primarily situated in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, includes an array of both condo and rental projects, although it appears to lean more strongly toward condo buildings. A few include 108 India St., a three-unit condo in Greenpoint, and 661 Driggs Ave., an eight-unit luxury condo development in Weinberg, according to the firm’s website.
Investmates did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
