How a Closed Church Became a Lifeline for Local Youth in Columbus | Think Like a Developer MS#03

Sometimes the biggest wins start with trust. This is how locals reshape their communities from the inside out.

Ben Sears and the Star House team didn’t just redevelop a closed church in Columbus, Ohio. They are creating a drop-in center that’s now transforming young lives.

In this minisode, we pull back the curtain on how they navigated zoning, city bureaucracy, and a neighborhood that already believed in them before the project ever hit the agenda.

When you build with your community, not to it, everything changes.

At Local Real Estate Developer (LRED), we’re here to empower locals to tackle projects like this even if you’ve never developed before. This story proves you just need the right relationships, local buy-in, and a willingness to figure it out as you go.

This is real estate development education for beginners, community leaders, and anyone tired of watching buildings sit vacant in their hometown.

Episode Takeaways:

✅ Build your team early

✅ Your reputation in the community is your biggest development asset.

✅ Start conversations before you ever file an application.

✅ Navigating city bureaucracy gets easier when you’ve got local support.

✅ Adaptive reuse and mission-driven development can reshape entire neighborhoods.Bold Truth:Community support doesn’t show up at the public hearing. It shows up because you did.

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