Since our November 10 congregation & community presentation, the Building Beloved Community Committee (BBCC) has been working with our development partners to refine various aspects of our planned affordable housing development. Our proposed development is now at 135 units – 123 apartments and 12 townhome units. One of the recent decisions we’ve made is to plan on making the townhome units available with a lease-for-purchase option financed by 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).  By doing this, we will be able to offer some residents the opportunity to build home equity. This arrangement would be a first for the State of Maryland to have a mixed rental and lease-purchase option included in the LIHTC financing package.

The BBCC continues to collaborate with our development partners on designing our campus parking plans. A big part of that will be contained in an underground garage. We continue to refine the size, scale, and cost estimates for the garage.

We have also been developing a report to the Baltimore Washington Conference (BWC) that lays out the need for the housing development, discusses the importance of our concurrent and future Church remodeling plans, and provides specific information on both projects’ design, costs, and financing plans.

Just a quick note about that Church remodeling: members and visitors will notice considerable work underway in and near the Fellowship Hall as workers install new ADA-compliant lifts and new flooring. New office and class space is being prepared on the ground floor. And on the main floor, work is well underway on our new children’s nursery along the main hall and a new gender-neutral restroom next to the sanctuary.  Most of this work should be completed by the end of February/beginning of March.

The BBCC will next host a briefing for the congregation on Sunday, January 26 at 11:30am when we will present a more detailed planning proposal, incorporating revisions to the November plans based on Church and community input. The concepts presented on this date will be voted on by the congregation, as required by the Methodist Book of Discipline, in a Church Conference on Sunday, March 16.

Questions? Email us at belovedcommunity@silverspringumcp.org.