Charlotte picks 12 houses of worship to build affordable housing on their own land
More affordable housing is coming to Charlotte, specifically, to the backyards of faith-based organizations.
A dozen houses of worship across the city were selected to receive training, assistance and funding to build affordable housing on their land, according to a Monday news release from the city. The selection was part of Charlotte’s Faith in Housing initiative.
That program started last year as a way to connect religious organizations with city officials, community agencies and developers to increase affordable housing stock on underutilized land.
The city has partnered with Enterprise Community Partners to lead the initiative through the nonprofit’s own faith-based development initiative. The national nonprofit has worked with 140 religious institutions across the country to build affordable housing.
The inaugural 12-member partners are: Faith Memorial CDC; First United Methodist Church; Kingdom Harvest Bibleway Church; Kinship Plot, Inc; New Bethel Church of God in Christ; New Hope Baptist Church; Northside Church of Christ; St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church; St. Mark’s United Methodist Church; Steele Creek Church of Charlotte; The Church of the Power of God/La Iglesia del Poder De Dios; and The Park Ministries, Inc.
Combined, the religious organizations have over 88 acres of unused property. And using that land for affordable housing is major need in the city.
More than 32,200 apartments are needed for residents who make 80% of the area median income or lower, according to the city’s affordable housing gap dashboard from 2023. For a family of four, that’s an income of $89,750./
In a recent blog post, United Way of Greater Charlotte noted that the city has lost about 74% of its affordable units and only about 8% of rentals are considered affordable.
Through the initiative, these groups will build housing projects, including rental homes and mixed-used developments for low-income residents, seniors and people experiencing homelessness.
The program is being funded with $430,321 from the city. The money will go toward pre-development work such as feasibility studies. It’s unclear whether the program will receive additional funding.
“Many of our faith communities want to use their land to meet housing needs, but they need the right tools and support to move forward,” Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield said in the release. “This cohort gives them practical guidance and resources to take the next step, turning good ideas into real homes for Charlotte families.”
Faith-based organizations and affordable housing
Mayfield is stewarding the Faith in Housing initiative, which has held several community meetings to go over ways faith institutions can begin to use their land for housing.
The initiative is meant 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.
And Charlotte isn’t the only city partnering with religious institutions.
A new national movement called “Yes in God’s Backyard” is making its way into some states’ legislation. California removed rezoning requirements to allow houses of worship and nonprofits to build affordable housing unrestricted. Florida also approved a similar law.
Many faith-based groups in Charlotte have already started building housing in their backyards, including one member of the group, The Park Ministries.
In June, The Park Church filed a rezoning petition to transform the 30 acres behind its sanctuary on Beatties Ford Road into more than 300 affordable residential units. The church wants to build 92 single-family homes, 95 town house-style units and 130 age-restricted apartments for an independent-living facility, according to the petition.
Units will be for-sale or lease and they’ll be income-restricted for those earning between 60% to 120% of the area median income, according to the rezoning application. For a family of four, that’s an income between $67,320 and $134,640.
And this would be the second project for The Park Church. It’s first, Gilfield Park, was completed in 2023. That offers 80 units of affordable housing to seniors age 55 and older. The units were for those earning less than 80% AMI, which is $71,800 or below for a family of two.
Other religious organizations building housing on their properties include:
- Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, which alongside DreamKey Partners, built Sugree Place, a 51-unit complex in Sugar Creek for those in the 30% to 80% AMI range.
- Newell Presbyterian Church and DreamKey had their rezoning request approved last year to build 56 single-family attached town houses on church property. Those will be for-sale for residents earning 80% AMI.
- Caldwell Presbyterian Church, which is also working with DreamKey, is converting an on-site building into Easter’s Home, 21-units of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing chronic homelessness.
- And in late June, Steele Creek Presbyterian Church at Pleasant Hill sold almost five acres to Hopper Communities for $300,000. It was a trade between the two groups. Hopper plans to build a 76-unit town home development along York Road, adjacent to the church. Those will be sold at market rate.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the income level needed for people who could use affordable housing. More than 32,200 apartments are needed for residents who make 80% of the area median income or lower.
This story was originally published October 21, 2025 at 5:34 AM.
