As noted in the last update, a small group of concerned citizens has been discussing a path forward to restoring and reusing the Historic Church of St. Hubert. The tentative plan was to conduct a feasibility study on a community-wide capital campaign to purchase the building, restore it, and use it as a community space for events and gatherings.
While we still would like to see this come to fruition, we have encountered two major roadblocks. Firstly, the parish is moving quickly with their plans to demolish the building, and we were given just a few months to put our plan in motion.
Secondly, we were recently informed that any transfer of ownership of the church would include deed restrictions about its future use. These include the following:
- Not used for immoral purposes
- Not used for the sale of liquor or cannabis or other illegal/immoral goods
- Not used in a way that contravenes the teachings of the Catholic Church
- Not used as a wedding venue
While some of these restrictions are vague and could cause confusion, the last one is most troubling for our future plans. One of the most obvious and valuable re-uses of the old church is as a wedding venue, and this restriction may be untenable.
Due to the accelerated time frame of demolition plans, as well as being made aware of the deed restrictions, we are at a perilous point in our efforts to save Old St. Hubert.
It is our belief that only a strong show of support from the community, as well as involvement by the City of Chanhassen, will now be enough to save the historic church.
With this in mind, we are calling on our city’s leaders to take decisive action in saving this one-of-a-kind landmark of our community’s history. Please sign and share this petition far and wide. Tell your friends and neighbors. Let our city leadership know that we care about our history.
