“Finding a tenant to revitalize them and give them a new life, new purpose, while also preserving the historic context of the outside, is rare. “Many churches are closing, unfortunately, and finding that new identity to save them has been a challenge for a lot of cities, especially during COVID,” Ochs adds. “We’re seeing this everywhere – old industrial buildings as an example of a popular one I’ve experienced.” “Transient rental is a huge trend right now, especially in Sandusky, but it’s sweeping the nation,” Ochs says. While a church finding a new life as an Airbnb seems pretty unusual, the idea isn’t completely out of left field. “Anytime we can get the applicant to ‘yes’ and meet all of our guidelines, it is a good experience for everyone involved,” Ochs says. With most of the alterations planned for the interior, both he and Cox say rezoning it for business use was a smooth process. “What that means is it's designed for public use – so our government buildings are zoned that, our police stations, our churches, etc.”īecause the building has historical significance, the city didn’t want to see extensive changes made to its exterior. “Originally, this and many other churches in the city are zoned as public facilities,” says Alec Ochs, an assistant planner in Sandusky’s Community Development Department. The first step in turning this church into a hotel of sorts was getting the property rezoned. It won’t be rented to another party during your stay, but you must rent it in addition to the living space if you want to use it. But then on the ground level, you also have the sanctuary, which is, you know, huge.”Īccording to the listing, the sanctuary serves as an optional event space. “And that is basically the ground level and the whole second floor. “We’ve got, basically, four to six bedrooms, depending on how you kind of divide it out – enough to sleep 16, which is the max that you can do on Airbnb,” Cox says. While the Coxes own long-term rental properties elsewhere, they’ve turned the church into an Airbnb, a listing that offers three baths, five bedrooms and a whopping 16 beds. Guests can cozy up in one of the property's bedrooms. “We weren’t looking for anything in particular when we bought it, but we really liked the building.” “We’ve kept an eye out for real estate or buildings … and obviously that church there is an unbelievable building as far as architecture and history and location,” he says. The couple, along with Michael’s brother, Matt, became the owners of the former First Congregational United Church of Christ in downtown Sandusky in the spring of 2021, after it was abandoned as a house of worship. “We grew up (there) and graduated from (Perkins High School), so we spend a significant amount of time in Sandusky throughout the year but particularly in the warm weather.” “Well, my wife and I and brother are Perkins people,” says the Columbus-based attorney, who lives in Delaware with wife Jacquelyn, during a recent phone interview. Seasoning items are not provided for the safety reasons of our guest.It’s not as if Michael Cox had been in the market for a church. For the total comfort of our guests, the kitchen is fully equipped with pots and pans. You can also enjoy the free WiFi to keep in contact with your loved ones. A washer and dryer is available and will help so you don't have to pack extra clothes for your trip. A nice outdoor pool area for your evenings after the park to relax is always a plus, as well as the open concept kitchen and living room area. This home features an awesome game room upstairs and also a super cool movie theater downstairs. This super spacious homes features 10 beautifully decorated bedrooms and can accommodate up to 20 people. Guests can enjoy the whole structure without additional costs. The clubhouse offers a leisure pool, cyber cafe, fitness center, sand volleyball court, basketball, bocce, playground, and more. ![]() Located in Bela Vida Resort, we are just minutes from Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, and other attractions in the Orlando area. Welcome home to an amazing 10 bedrooms, 10 -bathrooms house.
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