Fourteen Buildings Behind the Church: A Richmond Parish Breaks Ground on 56 Affordable Homes

• St Elizabeth Catholic Church in Richmond, Virginia’s Highland Park neighbourhood broke ground on Greenway Village on September 21, 2025.
• The development will have 56 rental units in 14 buildings on land behind the parish.
• Partners include the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Commonwealth Catholic Charities and the City of Richmond.
• The pastor said the aim was a design that looks like a neighbourhood, not an industrial building.

A Catholic parish in Richmond, Virginia, has started building affordable homes on its own land. The National Catholic Register, carrying a Catholic News Agency report by Daniel Payne, said St Elizabeth Catholic Church broke ground on a housing development behind the church.

The project, called Greenway Village, is in the Highland Park neighbourhood. It will provide 56 rental units spread across 14 buildings. Ground was broken on September 21, 2025. The partners include the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Commonwealth Catholic Charities and the City of Richmond. The report did not give the construction cost or the income limits for residents.

The pastor, Father Jim Arsenault, explained the choice of many small buildings rather than one large block: “We wanted it to look more like a neighborhood than an industrial building.” He said interest had come from unexpected quarters, recalling people asking: “How do I get on the list? I’d love to live there!”

US Senator Tim Kaine, who attended, said: “I know how important it is to expand affordable housing for all.”

The report presented the project as part of a wider movement of faith groups using land they already own to address housing shortages.

For Jamaican churches with land behind or beside their sanctuaries, St Elizabeth offers a useful model. Small buildings in a village layout can fit into a residential area more easily than a tower, and working with a diocese, a Catholic charity and the city spreads both the risk and the expertise. The parish keeps its church at the heart of a new neighbourhood. Churches in Jamaica that own under-used land in towns could explore similar partnerships with housing agencies and charities, making sure from the start who will own, manage and maintain the homes.

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