A Beverly Grove church wants to get into the real estate game in a big way.

Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon, a Maronite Catholic church at 333 S. San Vicente Blvd., filed plans with the city of Los Angeles to build a 19-story apartment building in place of the parking lot, social hall, rectory and chancery that currently exist on its one-acre property.

Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon announced plans to build a 19-story apartment building on its campus on South San Vicente Boulevard. (photo courtesy of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon)

The structure is expected to contain 153 apartments, of which 17 would be set aside for affordable housing. Plans also include an underground parking garage and more than 31,000 square feet of office space, meeting rooms and an auditorium.

The Rev. Albert Constantine, associate rector of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon, said the church has been thinking about this plan for six or seven years as a way to expand. Approximately 1,200 families worship at the nearly 7,000-square-foot cathedral on South San Vicente Boulevard, Constantine said, which Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon moved into in 1966. Before then, the cathedral was home to St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church.

During construction, which the church wants to begin in 2021 and expects to be complete in 2024, the 82-year-old cathedral will be disassembled and stored offsite. Once construction is done, the cathedral will be put back together with only minor modifications, including widened aisles, more room for storage and a crying room for babies and parents, the church said.

“We’re going to enormous lengths to maintain the church in its current form, so we’ll do whatever we can to store it and keep it safe,” Constantine said.

However, not everyone in the neighborhood is a fan of the church’s plans.

Harald Hahn, a neighbor of the church who also serves as president of Burton Way Foundation, said it would be a “sacrilege” for the church to be taken apart.

“They want to do a little Hollywood recreation, a movie set,” Hahn said. “You can’t do that and retain the spirit of the place. It will be a pastiche.”

Hahn also raised other concerns, including the potential for increased traffic and a high water table that he said will have to be accounted for in building the underground parking garage. Hahn said his group has not yet decided to get involved with the project.

The Mid City West Community Council will consider the project before it goes before the Los Angeles City Council.

Scott Epstein, chair of the council, said the project has not yet come before the group, and once it does, it could take a couple of months as the proposed building first has to be heard by Mid City West’s Planning and Land Use Committee before it can be considered for a full council vote. Mehmet Berker, who co-chairs the land use committee, said the project has not yet been scheduled for a meeting, though it could happen in May or July so it doesn’t conflict with the June election.

Epstein said the Mid City West board will consider several factors, including the project’s aesthetics and public input, before making a decision, but Epstein said he liked the idea to include affordable housing.

“I’m always glad to see mixed-income projects that have both market rate and affordable units. That’s something that the board is in favor of and is supportive of. We want to make sure we produce housing for people of all incomes,” he said.

Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, said he also supports the affordable housing component and looks forward to hearing feedback from the public, especially considering the building’s height.

“Certainly, whenever we build affordable units, that’s somewhat of a benefit. We also want to see the church do well … I’m looking forward to hearing what the neighbors surrounding the project have to say about it,” he said.

If the project is approved, the church will receive income from tenants’ rent, as the church will retain ownership of the apartments and contract an outside company to manage them, Constantine said. Though the apartments will be church-owned, they will not be limited to church members or people of any particular faith.

“We’re all children of God. Somebody may object to living next to a church, but as far as we’re concerned, everyone is welcome,” Constantine said.

Constantine said the church will use the rent money to expand its outreach to the community and help those who need it, specifically through programs for youth and the elderly.

“The church is really all about finding the best way to serve the community and giving back to the community,” Constantine added.