A new tenant could be taking over a vacant church on Arlington Boulevard in Buckingham.
The church sits on a .37 acre-parcel at 4347 Arlington Boulevard that housed Bethel United Christian Church until the congregation moved in September 2018 to the Boulevard Manor neighborhood.
“Due to uncontrollable circumstances related to parking availability, we made the decision to sell our building and move into a shared property relationship with Arlington Church of the Brethren,” according to the church’s website. The church has only tiny lots for drop-off, and there are few available street parking spots within easy walking distance.
The church building has been on the market since then, according to Saul Corral, of Fairfax Realty of Tysons, who represents the church.
“It’s such a beautiful building, inside and out,” he said, adding that there are impressive old beams that are hard to come by in modern architecture.
Contracts have been drafted with potential buyers three times already, “but unfortunately, they’ve fallen through,” Corral said.
The fourth time could be the charm for the church. A potential buyer is studying whether or not the investment is feasible, and this study period expires at the end of April, he said.
Previous buyers have had their contracts cancelled based on what they intend to do with the building, he said.
“That’s where the contracts fall through,” Corral said. “Buyers that have other intentions put a contract on it and they’re not approved” by the Arlington County Zoning Department.
The church lot is zoned for single- and multi-family dwellings, according to a county zoning map.
Although the church is vacant, the founding location of a full-time preschool, Children’s International School, continues to operate on the site.
The preschool school has been housed in the church since it was founded in 1985, and has since expanded to three more locations in Arlington and Alexandria. It expects to be able to continue operating from the building, managers have told parents.