The Building Beloved Community Committee is proud to announce a major step forward toward our goal of building affordable housing on our campus. On Friday, May 16, SSUMC and our development partner Enterprise Community Development (ECD) submitted our Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) application to the Maryland Community Development Administration (CDA).

LIHTCs are expected to be a substantial part our project’s financing. Tax Credits are awarded on a competitive basis to nonprofit and for-profit sponsors of eligible housing projects. The CDA will likely announce its awards in three to four months.

Here are some of the major steps that must be undertaken leading up to the start of any housing construction, with approximate timeframes for completion:

  1. Prepare a detailed site plan and other required documentation for county zoning officials. This will not begin until the LIHTC awards have been announced and the development team is confident that sufficient funding is available. This step will require 4-6 months to complete.
  2. Apply for a zoning “conditional use” under the rules of the Montgomery County FAITH ZTA. This will likely not start until the site plan is ready. A county hearing examiner will conduct one or more public hearings as needed during this process. The examiner may require changes to the architectural plans. This step will require 4-6 months to complete.
  3. Apply for preliminary plan of subdivision approval. This may be undertaken concurrently with the application for a conditional use, but the preliminary plan will not be approved until the conditional use has been granted. County officials responsible for reviewing the plan may require changes to it.
  4. Finalize all plans for development of the site, including Church renovations, and for financing of both the housing and Church renovation projects. Upon approval of the site plan, final engineering and construction documents can be processed to get ready to apply for permits. This step will require 15-18 months.

Assuming all goes smoothly, we are likely at least 2.5 years away from the possible start of the housing construction and major church renovation, and at least 4.5 years from the start of housing occupancy.

Both the housing and Church renovation projects will undergo additional planning and scrutiny. These plans will be updated and finalized, and subjected to another vote of the Church membership, prior to the start of implementation.

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