In hopes of raising some additional money, the SouthCoast Community Church is planning on selling some of its land for housing lots.

The Gorham Road church is proposing to subdivide a portion of its 70-acre property into nine house lots and has submitted preliminary plans to the Planning Department for approval.

The church purchased the land in 1999 and, with the help of a large number of volunteers, built the facility in 2000, according to John Krainis, a church member who is working on the subdivision plan.

Even though the church was built using volunteer labor, a sizable mortgage remains that church members would like to reduce and eventually pay off.

Selling some of the property will allow the church to reduce its debt. The sale also gives the church with an opportunity to provide its pastor, Mike Hensley, with a house. Hensley and his family moved here from New Mexico about 14 months ago and have been having difficulty finding an affordable house in the area.

At this point the church is leaning toward selling the home to the pastor rather than allowing him to live in a church-owned home, according to Krainis.

Once completed the church will have three distinct parcels. One would be the church building, parking lot and additional space for future expansion. The second parcel, which borders the Nonesuch River, will remain as open space and the third will include the housing development.

Church members voted to sell the land earlier this year, Krainis said. The church is self-sustaining and must fund itself through whatever its members can donate.

Church leaders hired Sebago Technics to help develop the plan and intends to sell one lot in advance of the rest to cover planning expenses.