Ansay Holdings is planning to purchase St. Mary’s School and the parish house from St. John XXIII Catholic Parish in Port Washington for an apartment development.
Ansay has entered into an agreement with the parish to buy the 101-year-old school located at 446 Johnson St., for $625,000 following a six-month due diligence process, said Mike Burch, parish administrator.
Meanwhile, St. John XXIII has launched a $4.5 million capital campaign to raise money for an addition to its nearby St. Peter property. The expanded St. Peter’s property will house students from St. Mary’s and religious education for children and adults, Burch said.
“We had the St. Mary’s property for sale for a little over a year,” Burch said. “What Ansay offered will give us the money up front and allow us to stay there until our building is remodeled.”
Representatives from Ansay Holdings could not be reached for comment. Ansay Holdings is the development arm of the Port Washington-based Ansay & Associates insurance company.
Randy Tetzlaff, director of planning and development for the city of Port Washington, said Ansay officials made the city aware of their intent to put apartments at the site, but said they have no timetable established and have not said how many apartments they intend to build.
“They are not in a hurry because they can wait until the St. Peter’s school campus is made ready for the St. Mary’s school children,” Tetzlaff said.
Burch expects it will take at least two years before the St. Peter expansion is complete.
Archbishop Jerome Listecki will have to give final approval of the sale. St. John XXIII Catholic Parish can also back out of the deal if Ansay is unable to complete its development without disturbing the school’s current parking lot, which is used during church services.
“They are looking at putting in underground parking, so pavement parking should not be an issue,” Burch said. “Parking is so tight, the church cannot survive without our surface lot.”
