OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Good Shepherd Parish would like to tear down an old rectory to make room for more parking at St. Margaret Church.

St. Margaret Church is located at the corner of Saco Avenue and Old Orchard Street, and parking is always challenging at the downtown location in the summer.

In past years, the problem of summer parking was remedied by holding some summertime masses at St. Luke’s Chapel, a seasonal chapel at 164 Saco Ave.

St. Luke’s Chapel was closed to services a few years ago, put on the market earlier this summer and sold a few weeks ago, said Good Shepherd Parish Business Coordinator David Gadbois. Church officials decided it was more cost effective to sell the property and use the money for upkeep and repairs at other buildings, including the year-round St. Margaret Church, then to repair the seasonal chapel, said Gadbois.

The parish repaved and made improvements to the parking lot behind St. Margaret Church, and is seeking approval from the town to demolish the rectory on Saco Avenue across the street from St. Margaret Church, and add about 20 parking spaces, said Gadbois.

The Planning Board has not yet made a decision on the matter, and tabled the matter at a meeting last week as the proposal is still being reviewed by the Design Review Committee, a town committee which meets monthly regarding the conservation of the cultural and architectural heritage of the downtown and historic districts.

Gadbois said the rectory building, which he estimates was built in the 1920s, with outdated features like narrow staircases, is in need of repair. The building has been vacant for about six years, he said, and the parish did not have success when trying to sell it. He said many “significant changes” would have to be made to upgrade for it to be used for modern commercial or office space, and would be “cost prohibitive.” The parish decided that a parking lot would be “a long term asset” that would benefit parishioners, he said.

One person spoke out at the public session at last week’s Planning Board meeting.

Roger Tousignant said he’s been a member of St. Margaret since 1947 and it was a shame the parish wanted to tear down a landmark made with craftsmanship that couldn’t be matched by any other building in town.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.