“We Have the Land, We Have the Heart”: A Connecticut Pastor Asks Lawmakers for a Simpler Way to Build

• Granby Congregational Church has six undeveloped acres behind its building
• Only 5 per cent of Granby’s housing is classed as affordable
• A bill would give church housing projects a faster ‘summary review’
• Towns opposed it, citing local control, traffic and wastewater concerns

Behind Granby Congregational Church in Connecticut lie six acres of undeveloped land. The Rev Ellis Miller wants to see affordable homes there, and in March 2026 he asked state lawmakers to make it easier, CT Mirror reported. “We have the land, we have the heart, we need a simple process,” he told legislators.

Only 5 per cent of Granby’s housing stock is considered affordable, and two senior complexes have long waiting lists. The church is still at an early stage and has not decided how many homes it might build. “If H.B. 5396 became law, it would help us take the bold steps forward to transform our field of dreams into affordable housing,” Miller said.

The bill would not bypass towns altogether. It would allow a “summary review”, approving projects that meet the rules without public hearings, with a 90-day deadline, provided at least 30 per cent of the units are affordable. Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Hartford is also exploring housing on one acre. “I think that we are hopeful that this will make it possible for us to have a choice in what we do with our property,” said the Rev Julie Emery. The Planning and Development Committee approved the bill 13-8.

Opponents raised concerns. State Senator Jeff Gordon questioned giving religious groups “preferential treatment”, and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities said the process could skip checks on water and sewer capacity. Betsy Gara of the Council of Small Towns said: “we have to be careful about giving certain developments priority status.” Meanwhile, the state’s unsheltered population rose 45 per cent between 2024 and 2025.

Jamaica’s planning system has its own delays, and churches with idle acres face the same basic question as Granby: how long will approval take, and at what cost? A clear, faster route for well-designed church housing, with proper checks on water and roads, could unlock land that has sat unused for decades. Diaspora Jamaicans who follow these debates abroad can bring the lessons home to their municipal corporations and church boards.

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