Charlotte church and developer advance affordable housing project; city hungers for more
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 23, 2024
On Monday, Oct. 21, Charlotte City Council approved the rezoning of about 4 acres n the Newell neighborhood that would allow for the construction of affordable for-sale townhomes.
The project between Newell Presbyterian Church and developer DreamKey Partners will create 56 single-family attached townhomes to the church property.
Councilmembers again applauded the project stating that they hope to see more housing partnerships with faith-based organization.
Earlier, the proposed affordable housing project between Newell Presbyterian Church in the Newell neighborhood and developer DreamKey Partners is one step away from fruition.
In September, during a rezoning public hearing, Charlotte City Council members applauded the project that seeks to build affordable town homes on unused church property.
In order for the project to move forward, the land needs to be rezoned. With no opposition during the public hearing, City Council is expected to approve the rezoning request next month.
“I am happy to see this type of collaboration with not only recognizing our goal in the city to get as close to 10-minute neighborhoods as possible, but to build a quality product that’s in different price ranges so that our workforce can afford to stay in our city,” said Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield.
The Newell project
Newell’s pastor, Matt Conner, told The Charlotte Observer that a few years ago, the congregation began to wonder how their property could be better utilized. With a decline in church membership and so much unused land, Conner said the church reached out to DreamKey to talk about housing. DreamKey is a nonprofit affordable housing developer that also provides education to first-time homebuyers.
“We sit on about 10 acres with three buildings, all of it underutilized in the midst of an affordable housing crisis, short some 35,000 units,” Conner said during Monday’s public hearing. “We can create space for people to live, work, play and pray. We can be better stewards of our space. We can change lives for generations to come.”
The proposed project would bring 54 single-family attached town homes to about 4.3 acres of church-owned land, at the southwest intersection of West Rocky River Road and Old Concord Road.
During Monday’s meeting, rezoning manager Teresa Montalvo said the area is in need of housing and “this development would fill a need by providing a middle housing option.”
DreamKey intends to purchase the land from Newell. It’s unclear how much the church is selling the land for but Newell and DreamKey previously said the property is being sold for less than market value.
The homes would be sold to those making less than 80% of the area median income. For a family of four, that’s about $84,800. There will also be a 30-year affordability period on the homes, which will keep the properties at an affordable price point, said Fred Dodson, chief operating officer and executive vice president for DreamKey.
Faith-based organizations and affordable housing
Newell isn’t the first Charlotte-area church, nor the last, to turn part of its land into housing.
Last year, Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church partnered with DreamKey to build Sugree Place, a 51-unit complex in Sugar Creek for those in the 30% to 80% AMI range.
Caldwell Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth previously converted an unused building into 21 studio apartments for low-income residents in 2022.
Mayfield hopes more faith-based organizations consider entering the housing market.
Mayfield, along with Mayor Vi Lyles, launched their Faith in Housing initiative in January, a plan that looks to connect faith-based organizations with city officials, community agencies and developers to build affordable housing.
So far, the initiative has hosted two community meetings to go over ways faith institutions can begin connecting with the city and learning about financial tools, such as the Housing Trust Fund, a bond-funded revenue source for developers who build affordable housing.
The goal is to create a tool kit where organizations can find a list of developers and financial institutions ready to assist in bringing more affordable housing to the Charlotte market, Mayfield said.
Other City Council members said they were looking forward to seeing more of these collaborations in the future.
“It’s not in my district but maybe one day it can be,” said Councilwoman Tiawana Brown Monday night. “This is something positive, something that affirms everything that we want to see, don’t always get to see, but always want to see.
Faith organizations that are listening, get on board, okay? Meet us at the altar.”
This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 6:06 AM.
