Hobart Baptist Church prepares for $8m development

A multi-million dollar development is set to rise on the site of the Hobart Baptist Church in Elizabeth St.

The start of the $8 million project will be celebrated this afternoon, with politicians and key stakeholders turning the first sod at the North Hobart site.

The development includes a five-storey, 16-unit residential building, and a multicultural cafe on Elizabeth St as well as a $1.3 million upgrade to the church building.

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The cafe will be staffed by professional hospitality and barista staff from the Baptist congregation.

Hobart Baptist Senior Pastor and Tasmanian Baptists leader Stephen Baxter says the development will serve the community in a “much deeper and richer way for years to come”.

“Hobart Baptist Church is one of the most diverse churches in Hobart, people have come from 20 different countries, including many ex-refugees,” he says.

He says it is the most significant redevelopment for the church in its 131-year history.

The project has been seven years in the making and the construction of the apartment building is expected to take about 15 months.

This article from The Mercury originally appeared as “$8 million development begins on Hobart Baptist Church site in North Hobart”.