“We Could Have Built a Bigger Church”: A Colorado Springs Congregation Chooses 77 Affordable Apartments

• Solid Rock Christian Center, a nondenominational church of about 100 parishioners, began building 77 affordable apartments on its land.
• The $23 million Village at Solid Rock at 2520 Arlington Drive is a partnership with Commonwealth Development Group, managed by Greccio Housing.
• Rents are for households earning 30 to 60 per cent of the area median income.
• It was described as the first newly built affordable housing in southeast Colorado Springs in 20 years.

A small church in Colorado Springs has started building a sizeable affordable housing project on its land. The Colorado Springs Gazette reported that construction was under way on the Village at Solid Rock.

Solid Rock Christian Center, a nondenominational church with about 100 parishioners, is partnering with Commonwealth Development Group on the $23 million project at 2520 Arlington Drive in southeast Colorado Springs. It will have 77 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for households earning 30 to 60 per cent of the area median income, and Greccio Housing will manage the property. It was scheduled to open in summer 2023.

The Gazette said it was the first newly built affordable housing in southeast Colorado Springs in 20 years, and the first time a church in the city had repurposed its land for housing.

The Rev Ben Anderson said: “We never intended to build housing. We purchased it because we loved the land and needed a church.” He added: “This is a big deal. We could have kept the land and made it look nice, or we easily could have built a bigger church, but that wasn’t as important as doing something for our community.” He also said: “There is such a housing shortage citywide.” Steve Posey of the city’s Community Development Division said: “It’s very encouraging to see the Solid Rock Church lean into this issue in a very real way.”

A congregation of 100 people could not have built a $23 million project alone. It supplied the land, and a developer and housing manager supplied the finance and expertise. Jamaican churches with spare land face the same choice Solid Rock did: keep the land, build a bigger church, or use it for the community. Partnering with an experienced developer and a housing manager lets a small church take on a large project without taking on risks it cannot carry.