95% of the Congregation Said Yes: A Church Plans Up to 800 Workforce Homes on Its Parking Lot

• Overlake Christian Church owns a 27-acre site in Redmond, Washington
• It has partnered with a developer to propose up to 800 rental units
• The homes would target households earning around 80% of area median income
• The land would be leased, not sold, under a planned 99-year ground lease

A large church in Redmond, Washington, is planning to turn part of its campus into as many as 800 rental homes for teachers, social workers and other essential workers, the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce reported in May 2024.

Overlake Christian Church owns a 27-acre property at 9900 Willows Road N.E., a former industrial park west of the Sammamish River. The church has teamed up with developer Evans Wakefield on a plan for up to 800 units of workforce housing, aimed at households earning about 80% of the area median income. The homes would be built in phases in two midrise buildings with structured parking between them.

The development would sit on about six acres on the west side of the campus, replacing 555 surface parking spaces. Rather than selling the land, the church expects to sign a 99-year ground lease with the developer, keeping ownership while the homes are built and run. First occupancy was estimated for late this decade, pending boundary adjustments and the recording of the lease. Kidder Mathews brokers Steve Pelluer, Andy Miller and Kim Hutchins worked on the deal.

The congregation was firmly behind the idea. In February 2024, members voted 95% in favour of going ahead. The church described the project as a response to the region’s housing needs, particularly for educators, social workers, public servants and essential workers who struggle to live near where they work. A 2019 state law, House Bill 1377, made it easier for religious organisations in Washington to build denser affordable housing on their land.

The plan reflects a growing model in the US, where churches with more land and parking than they need use long leases to unlock value without giving up the property. The church keeps its asset and an income stream, and the community gains homes on land that would otherwise sit mostly empty during the week.

Many Jamaican churches also own acres of underused land, from large yards to open lots beside rural sanctuaries. The ground-lease approach used in Redmond is worth studying: it can let a church support affordable homes for teachers, nurses and young families while keeping its land for future generations, provided titles are in order and the lease is carefully drafted.