Fifty Worshippers, 9.5 Acres and 50 New Townhomes: A Charlotte Church Sells Land to Build a Community

• Newell Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, founded in 1890, is selling 4.5 of its 9.5 acres.
• The buyer is DreamKey Partners, a nonprofit real estate developer.
• The plan is 50 townhomes for buyers earning up to 80 per cent of area median income, about $85,000 for a family of four.
• Up to $3.1 million could come from Charlotte’s Housing Trust Fund, pending approval.

A small Presbyterian congregation in Charlotte has decided that part of its land will do more good as homes than as lawn. Religion News Service reported that Newell Presbyterian Church is selling 4.5 acres of its 9.5-acre property to DreamKey Partners, a nonprofit real estate developer.

The church was founded in 1890. About 50 people attend Sunday services, and its annual budget is $190,000. The sale was expected to close in October 2025; the price had not been disclosed because the contract was still to be signed.

DreamKey plans 50 townhomes on the land. They will be for sale rather than rent, aimed at households earning up to 80 per cent of the area median income, about $85,000 for a family of four. The project could receive $3.1 million from Charlotte’s Housing Trust Fund, subject to approval. A second phase would rent space in the church’s education building to nonprofit business incubators, and the church has talked about a coffee shop and a playground for local children.

The Rev Matt Conner said: “This is a church getting clearer about who we are and why we exist.” He added: “We are selling some land for the sake of this call to build up the beloved community.” Church member Trent Thompson said: “This is not our land. God created this land for us to use.” The report cited Rutgers University researcher Nadia Mian’s estimate that at least 200 to 400 houses of worship across the United States have repurposed property for affordable housing over the past decade.

Many Jamaican churches also sit on more land than a small congregation can use, often on the edge of growing towns. The Charlotte model is worth noting for three reasons: the church sold only part of its land, it chose a nonprofit partner, and the homes are for ownership, not rent. For church boards weighing a sale, and for Jamaicans at home and abroad hoping to buy a first home, church land sold this way can open doors that the open market keeps shut.

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