Document Type
Professional Plan Capstone
Original Publication Date
2026
Client
HdAdvisors, Virginia Episcopal Real Estate Partners (VEREP)
Location
Arlington, Virginia
Date of Submission
May 2026
Keywords
Faith-Based Redevelopment; Affordable Housing; Education and Engagement; Underutilized Church Properties; Congregational Planning; Community Engagement; Church; Housing Equity; Stakeholder Engagement
Abstract
Across the United States, many faith-based institutions are confronting declining attendance, underused property, and growing financial strain while their surrounding communities face severe affordable housing shortages. This plan explores how structured education and engagement strategies can help congregations redevelop underutilized land for affordable housing, using Trinity Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia as a pilot site for a model that can be adapted by other churches across the Diocese of Virginia.
Trinity’s 1.2-acre campus along Columbia Pike presents both urgent challenges and strong redevelopment potential. The church operates at a financial deficit, uses only a small portion of its facilities, and has declining weekly attendance, yet its location, zoning, transit access, and regional housing need create favorable conditions for affordable housing development. Drawing on twelve faith-based redevelopment case studies, stakeholder analysis, and seven semi-structured interviews, the plan finds that successful redevelopment depends less on technical feasibility alone and more on mission clarity, trust-building, governance capacity, and well-sequenced education and engagement.
The plan recommends a five-part framework: establishing internal mission and governance alignment, delivering stakeholder-specific education, engaging congregants and community members, navigating developer selection and financing, and supporting construction, ministry continuity, and post-occupancy relationships. While Trinity serves as the pilot site, the proposed tools and implementation framework are designed to be replicable for other congregations seeking to transform underused land into affordable housing. The broader purpose is to provide HDAdvisors, VEREP, and Diocese of Virginia churches with a scalable, evidence-based approach for advancing affordable housing through faith-based property redevelopment.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects
Recommended Citation
Joyita, A. (2026). Redeveloping underutilized faith-based properties for affordable housing through education and engagement strategies: A professional plan document. Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University.