Lease, Don’t Sell: A San Diego Methodist Church Plans Homes on Its Mission Valley Land

• First United Methodist Church of San Diego is planning affordable housing on part of its Mission Valley campus
• It wants a long-term ground lease of 55 to 99 years rather than a sale
• A feasibility study modelled a 140-unit family project
• Members voted in October 2025 to return an Ocean Beach property to the Cal-Pac Conference

First United Methodist Church of San Diego has been working out how to use its land for housing, and its project page records the steps. In 2023 the congregation settled on a strategy for its property, and in 2024 it sold its Ocean Beach parsonage.

The main housing site is the church’s Mission Valley East parcel, which includes several lots and may take in the United Methodist Center and another building on the campus. A feasibility study by LeSar Development Consultants modelled “a hypothetical large family project” of 140 units to test the finances, though the final number will depend on the vision the church chooses and how much land it commits.

The church is clear about its model. “Instead of selling property, we are seeking a long-term ground lease arrangement,” the page says, with terms of 55 to 99 years. A developer, chosen through a request for proposals, would take on the main funding responsibility, while the church expects “some initial investment of church funds, mostly in legal work”. Possible residents under discussion include extremely low-income families at 30 per cent of area median income, or seniors aged 55 and over.

The process has involved the whole congregation, with gatherings through mid-2025 on services, amenities, location and architecture. In a separate decision, members voted on October 26, 2025 to return an Ocean Beach property to the California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church, after the conference set out a different vision for it.

The approach, involving members at every stage, keeping ownership and letting a developer carry the risk, is well suited to Jamaican congregations that are wary of losing land. A ground lease can give a church income and a say over who is housed, while the land returns to the church at the end. For Methodists in Jamaica and in the diaspora, it is a model to discuss at circuit and synod level.