The Building Beloved Community Committee (BBCC) is making good strides in the opening phases of developing an affordable housing community on our church campus.
In October, we selected two attorneys to help us in our effort. We have engaged the services of Francoise Carrier, former chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board, to advise us on all zoning and land use issues related to the project. In addition to her deep experience with County zoning issues, Francoise impressed us with a real passion for seeing more affordable housing built in the County. We also hired Mo Smith to counsel us on issues related to creating a legal entity for the project and finding and working with a joint venture partner and developer. Mo’s practice focuses only on affordable housing. He has a depth of experience working with churches, other non- profits, and affordable housing developers. At our November meeting, Mo will speak with the committee about options for creating a legal entity for the development.
The BBCC has also begun the work of visiting actual affordable housing developments. Our first, in early November, was to The Spire Apartments in Alexandria Virginia, developed by AHC (Affordable Homes and Communities), and developed on property owned by the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection. An early December visit is planned to a development built by NFP &; Enterprise Community Partners. And we are scheduling a tour of an of MHP (Montgomery Housing Partners) property. One of MHP’s newest affordable housing projects is now being built up Georgia Ave at Forest Glen.
As part of the due diligence required for an effort like this, we are conducting a title search on the church property and working to fully understand the current and near- future infrastructure needs for our entire physical plant.
The BBCC plans to seek church approval of creating our legal entity by mid- January 2024; final selection of a joint venture development partner should happen by the end of March. For more information about the work of the Building Beloved Community Committee, please email belovedcommunity@silverspringumcp.org.