Del. Michael Jones’s plan to build affordable housing at his church hits a hurdle

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A plan to turn a church parking lot into affordable housing in Chesterfield County has hit a hurdle. This comes as an increase of churches, exempt from certain property taxes, are trying to take on the housing crisis. 

But Delegate Michael Jones, who represents the 77th District in Richmond and Chesterfield, said there are so many obstacles that take years to get past.  

“Do I eat? Do I buy medicine? And how do I pay for this mortgage and/or this rent?”  

Delegate Jones said he hears these questions from Virginians everyday.  

“You talk to any one person, any one mayor... any one county supervisor, they will all say the same thing -- that affordable housing is the issue," he said. 

Delegate Jones’s church, Village of Faith Ministries, bought and renovated an old moving theatre located at 11000 Hull Street Road as a second property 16 years ago. There are eight acres behind the church and a strip mall with storefronts that pay rent.

Its other location is at 111 Stuttaford Drive in Sandston, and Jones has served as the pastor for 20 years.

Jones told 8News that it’s always been the congregation’s goal to meet community needs. With Jones seeing the need for housing, he began working with D.R. Horton, the Texas-based development company.  

That partnership ended last week.  

“For the developer, the number didn’t match for them," Jones said. "They knew what our price was going in, we had a contracted price that been four, five years in the making now.”  

That contracted price was four million dollars.

Jones said other developers are interested, but there won’t be a necessary vote from the county for rezoning until this shakeup is solved.

“It won’t move forward under the current developer and under the current plan. But I just believe this -- that something is going to happen that is going to be the right fit for this community," Jones said.

But Jones isn’t throwing in the towel just yet.   

“I know it’s gonna happen at some point," he said. "We will have affordable housing on this site at some point and time in the future. The question is who the developer’s gonna be, what the project will ultimately look like. We know it’s going to happen.”  

Delegate Jones teased presenting legislation around affordable housing and getting it developed in a timely manner in the upcoming General Assembly session. Lawmakers reconvene in January.