The church at 218-20 98th Ave., which was founded in 1904 in a single-family residence, has undergone…
By Adam Kramer
The Queens borough president’s office approved the application of the Bethlehem Missionary Church to legalize its existing church on the property.
The church at 218-20 98th Ave., which was founded in 1904 in a single-family residence, has undergone various conversions. But it never obtained the necessary permits from the city Board of Standards and Appeals, making it an illegal construction.
At its July 22 meeting, Community Board 13 approved the Bethlehem Missionary Church’s application to legalize the existing structures by a vote of 31-0. One month later on Aug. 22, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall concurred with CB 13 and recommended approval for the application.
According to the borough president’s office, the Bethlehem Missionary Church bought its existing property in 1984 from the Knights of Columbus. The church was permitted to use the building — The Knights of Columbus meeting hall — on the site as a house of worship because it was zoned for non-conforming use.
The church ran into a problem when it built a new meeting hall without getting the necessary BSA permits. The church, which is in a residential neighborhood, had to conform to the area’s zoning regulations.
Bethlehem Missionary Church sits on the south side of 98th Avenue between Springfield Boulevard and 218th Street. The south of the property abuts a single-family residence, north of the church is a commercial district and the Long Island Rail Road’s Queens Village Station, while to the east and west sides are semi-detached one and two-story homes.
