Building Beloved Community Committee Update
December 19, 2023
The Building Beloved Community Committee (BBCC) has now completed site visits of affordable housing properties developed by three potential development partners.
On December 9, we toured Lake Anne House in Reston, VA, a 240-unit affordable apartment building for seniors, developed by Fellowship Square in conjunction with NFP & Enterprise Community Partners. The previous week, we were shown several nearby properties developed or in-progress by MHP (Making Housing Possible), including The Bonifant in downtown Silver Spring. We also saw 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. The BBCC has created a set of critical evaluation questions for potential joint venture partners. Those will be sent out in the coming days with responses expected by mid-January. The BBCC will then begin weighing the response and comparing notes on those developers and seriously considering who we should select. Our goal is to have that process completed by spring.
Part of that development partner process includes forming a legal entity to both simplify the creation of a joint venture and to protect SSUMC from legal liability. Committee members are working on the legal documents to make that happen.
We also want to get a better understanding of the entire SSUMC property including the sanctuary wing, which we want to preserve. We already know there are substantial mechanical, electrical, HVAC and other issues. Creating a brand-new affordable housing project without addressing those needs would be neglectful, so we are developing an RFP for firms that can give us a realistic capital needs assessment. Our goal is to have that RFP finalized this week (12/18). We are aiming to have that report, including a structural engineering report by spring. That process will also include getting a title report and appraisal.