The Beacon, possibly the first affordable-housing church, is the most complex project Ellisdale has built to date. The building incorporated five use types: retail space, a community center, a gym, new church offices, a historic church sanctuary, and 99 wood-frame affordable housing apartments. All were built above two levels of below-grade parking. In addition to the building’s intricate usage designations, the project had three developers and four different funding sources.

The Beacon project was brought to Ellisdale at a late development stage because it was deemed too expensive and could not secure financing. Ellisdale value engineered the design, saving the project $2 million and putting it in a position to receive the necessary financing.

The project contained significant challenges across a range of areas, from coordination and financing to contracts and construction (cast-in-place concrete, historic preservation, and wood frame techniques.) Ellisdale was able to help a wide range of project stakeholders navigate these challenges to deliver a cost-effective, multi-use building on time and within budget.