In 1997, Reverend Fred Jenkins purchased property located at 822 Prospect Ave., New Cassel, with plans to restore a building that had lain dormant and dilapidated since the early 1980s. The new building was to house Jenkins' congregation, St. Luke's Pentecostal Church, which, for 21 years, had been renting space at various local churches, while saving up to buy a church building of their own.

Then, in Nov. of 1999, Jenkins learned of an obstacle that would stand in the way of his dream.

The Town of North Hempstead Community Development Agency (CDA), which administers federally funded programs to develop and revitalize "blighted" communities like New Cassel, was seeking to purchase the 822 Prospect Ave. property. Based on the consideration of two appraisals of the property made by independent appraisers, the CDA offered Jenkins $80,000, $50,000 less than he originally paid for it.

"The money is not the issue," said Jenkins. "We bought the property with the intention of building a church and we are not going to give up those plans."

"We are not anti-church," said Kevin Saunders, a lifelong resident of New Cassel who has been with the CDA for six years. "By redeveloping properties, both commercially and residentially, we are enhancing the quality of life in this neighborhood." Jenkins' property, as well as an adjacent vacant site, have been zoned for commercial use by the CDA.

John Moss, council to the agency of Kroll, Moss and Kroll of Garden City, has worked with the CDA for two terms. He explained that the Urban Renewal Plan drawn up for the Prospect Ave. Corridor seeks to ensure that properties are used in a manner that is consistent and helpful to the local economy. "Neighborhoods are rehabilitated when we eliminate those properties that have a devaluing effect on the surrounding properties," he said. "Mr. Jenkins' property has not been redeveloped, or even used for anything, since the early '80s."

Jenkins argues that his efforts to refurbish the property have been thwarted by various government agencies. When he first purchased the property, the previous owner, the Jeremiah Baptist Church, had already been granted the necessary permits to move ahead with their plans ¬ plans, Jenkins says, that are identical to his own.

"The Jeremiah Baptist Church already had permits to build a building in the same location, for the same purpose. All they lacked was funds," said Jenkins. "The only thing we planned to do differently was to build an elevator to accommodate the handicapped, in place of the wheelchair ramp."

It was only after the property changed hands, Jenkins claims, that the Zoning Board of the Town of North Hempstead informed him he did not have a suitable number of parking spaces. Shortly thereafter, Jenkins learned that he had lost his tax exempt status. He now owes over $14,000 in taxes that have been accruing, unbeknownst to him, since he purchased the property three years ago. Meanwhile, Jenkins' congregation, which once numbered 140, has begun to dwindle in the face of these conflicts.

As of now, Jenkins' options include accepting the CDA's offer as full compensation for the acquisition of his property, or filing a claim by early February for additional compensation. If Jenkins fails to either accept the offer or file a claim, an action will be instituted in the Supreme Court of Nassau County to acquire the property by condemnation.

"Not all our acquisitions are going to be smooth, not all are going to be popular," acknowledged Saunders. "But I think, with the town's designation of an urban renewal area, there is a real need for redevelopment."

Mildred Little, member of the Town of North Hempstead Zoning Board, community leader, and resident of New Cassel echoed Saunders' opinion. "We want improvement, first and foremost, and this property has been lying dormant for quite a while," she said. "We have enough churches here in New Cassel. I would like to see done with the property what it was earmarked for ... business."

Jenkins, however, believes a new church can be as valuable to a community as a new business, if not more so. "If you take a person off the street and give him a job in a new business, you've changed his situation, not the person himself. That's cosmetic," he said. "We're in the business of changing people's lives."