A 99-Year Lease to Habitat: An Aurora Church’s Two Empty Acres Become 20 Homes for Sale

• Mountain View United Church in Aurora, Colorado, leased two undeveloped acres to Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver for 99 years.
• The land will hold 10 duplexes with three and four bedrooms on a cul-de-sac.
• Homes sell for about $350,000 each; building each affordable unit costs about $500,000.
• The church decided in 2018 to develop the land; rezoning was approved in autumn 2021 after neighbourhood opposition.

An Aurora church has turned land it held since its founding into homes that families can buy. The Sentinel Colorado reported that Mountain View United Church partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver to build on two vacant acres.

Church leaders decided in 2018 to use the land for housing and joined the Interfaith Alliance’s Congregation Land Campaign. After neighbourhood opposition and delays during Covid, the rezoning was approved in autumn 2021. The church leased the land to Habitat for 99 years. The project is 10 duplexes, with three- and four-bedroom homes around a cul-de-sac, and was more than halfway complete at the time of the report.

The homes sell for about $350,000 each, while building each affordable unit costs about $500,000.

The Rev Dr Tracy Hughes, the church’s lead minister, said: “The land is a gift from God, and we’re called to use that gift for the common good.” The Rev Wayne Laws, former social justice pastor, said: “We did not envision how long this process would take, but that was one of the first things we learned.” Laura Willetto of Habitat said: “Land is often one of the most cost restrictive elements of us being able to build.”

A long lease rather than a sale lets a church keep ownership of its land while it serves a housing purpose. For Habitat, getting land without having to buy it removes one of the biggest costs of building. Jamaican churches with spare land could consider long leases to housing charities or cooperatives, especially for homes that families can own. The Aurora case also shows that the process can take years, from the first decision to rezoning to construction, so congregations should plan for patience and keep members informed along the way.

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