How a Charlotte church’s land deal will lead to more homes and a youth center
A church and a developer’s budding partnership is leading to a town house project and a preschool expansion in southwest Charlotte.
In late June, Steele Creek Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Hill sold almost five acres of church property to Hopper Communities for $300,000.
It’s a tiny transaction but one that’s leading toward considerable change.
Hopper will begin working on a 76-unit townhome development along York Road, adjacent to the church. Besides the money for the property, Hopper will help the congregation with foundational and infrastructure work so the church can expand its preschool and Sunday school classrooms.
It’s a true exchange of goods and services.
“We just looked for a way to collaborate with them,” said Jacob Cunningham, leader of the property overview committee with the church. “They’re getting a little extra acreage and we’re getting the opportunity to expand and build out the church to accommodate the congregation.”
Hopper’s town house expansion
Hopper Communities has been on an infill development spree. An infill project builds on vacant or underutilized land in urban areas.
The developer’s two newest projects, Endhaven Terraces in Ballantyne and Montclaire Terraces in Lower South End, began selling in April. Both properties combine for 96 townhomes.
On the southeast side of Charlotte, the developer is performing site work on the Townes at Stonehaven, a 92-townhome development, according to founder Bart Hopper. The developer closed on the site in late May, Charlotte Business Journal reported, purchasing 12 acres for $4.6 million.
And Hopper is no stranger to working with churches, which typically have a lot of unused land.
In 2021, Hopper purchased about eight acres from Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church for $1.8 million. The developer later built the Crossings at NoDa, an 88-town house project along West Sugar Creek Road.
Hopper’s relationship with Steele Creek began about three years ago, Cunningham said, as the developer began to eye the nearby vacant land for development.
In January, Hopper purchased about six acres near the church for $1.5 million. Needing just a bit more land for the development, Hopper and the church connected.
“What we’re doing with Steele Creek is unique but this was unused land for them,” Hopper said. “A lot of churches are in urban or growing areas, which is great for infill development… By including the acreage we traded slash purchased from them, we’ll have a nice 76-unit townhome site.”
Hopper said the company will develop the site and a partner builder will construct the homes. Site work should begin in September.
Steele Creek Church expansion
While Hopper works on housing, the church is working on expanding its services. It’s a step the congregation couldn’t have thought of eight years ago.
Let’s backtrack.
Prior to 2017, a portion of the congregation was part of the original and historic Steele Creek Presbyterian Church. The church on Steele Creek Road was organized in 1760 and was the second-oldest house of worship in Mecklenburg County, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.
At one point it was “the nation’s largest rural Presbyterian church,” according to the commission.
But development growth encroached on the church, particularly from Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As the airport grew, noise became a concern.
And part of the airport’s growth included purchasing properties in the nearby area, which helped dwindle the congregation’s population.
In 2017, the congregation agreed to sell the church property to the airport. Two years later, the congregation merged with Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church, which was started by a member of Steele Creek Presbyterian in 1836.
Now, Steele Creek Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Hill is thriving.
“With the additions of the airport… the warehouses that are being built, the church was kind of stuck in the middle,” Cunningham said. “We found that when we came together as a congregation, we were even stronger and we were able to not only reach out to the community a lot more but also be able to provide more services and opportunities for worship.”
That includes the church’s preschool program, which is maxed out, Cunningham said.
“We’re a growing church and certainly a growing community,” Cunningham added. “We need an expansion of the church.”
And Hopper will help with the change.
The developer will help build a deceleration turn lane for the church to make entering and leaving the property safer. Hopper will also help make some infrastructure and utility changes for the new youth space.
The plan is to expand the old sanctuary, creating an additional floor that will house a new youth center, according to a church newsletter. Two staircases and an elevator will be added to the space.
Permitting is set to be completed in August and construction will start this year.
