This document summarizes a success story of how Ross Reller helped St. Christopher's Episcopal Church sell excess land to fund construction of a new sanctuary. The church had 17 acres of extra land but struggled for years to sell it through a large brokerage. Reller designed a marketing plan identifying office and hospitality as highest uses. He worked with the church to evaluate developers and address concerns over parking and compatibility. This ultimately led to the multi-million dollar sale of the land to a mixed-use development, allowing construction of the new sanctuary in a partnership that benefited both parties.

1. TEAM
ROSS RELLER
Senior Vice President &
Director of Land Services
Indiana Region
STATISTICS
17 acres
SERVICES PROVIDED
Brokerage, Seller
Representation and
Pre-development Services
www.colliers.com
SUCCESS STORY
ST. CHRISTOPHER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
CHALLENGE
A Carmel church congregation needed
additional funds to construct a new
sanctuary. Fortunately they had identified
excess acreage fronting on a high traffic
major thoroughfare as suitable for
disposition. Following a multiyear effort to
sell the excess property through a large
commercial brokerage, church elders made
the difficult decision to solicit proposals for
re-marketing and brokerage and to “start
from scratch.”
STRATEGY
Colliers International Advisor Ross Reller,
while at his former firm, and based upon
knowledge of local zoning codes and
opportunities, designed a marketing
approach that identified office and hospitality
development as the highest and best use of
the neighboring land. In concert with a team
of church volunteers, Reller met regularly
with the church’s real estate committee to
interview and evaluate the most promising
candidates for disposition. Issues involving
the church’s need for Sunday parking, as
well as concerns about harmony and
compatibility with the new neighbors, were
identified.
RESULTS
The church agreed to enter into negotiations
with a single developer and lent their public
support to a lengthy and collaborative zoning
success. In the summer of 2008, the church
sold the residual property in a multimillion
dollar transaction, facilitating the
construction of a new sanctuary and
finalizing the selection of a compatible and
harmonious mixed use development with
sites for office buildings, hotels and shared
parking in close proximity to the new
sanctuary, located on the property the
church sold.
“Ross, your good counsel over these past two years has been
invaluable, particularly as we worked our way through
a very difficult and collapsing capital market.”
Russ Bachman, Chairman
Development Leadership Committee
Accelerating success.
Note: We have several professionals with substantial client transactional experience
prior to joining Colliers International, which is included above.