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By Lucy Chumbley
Washington Window
Vol. 74, No. 2, January 2006

A proposal from the Transitional Housing Corporation to build 110 units of affordable housing on land the diocese owns in Germantown met with spirited discussion but no decision at the Diocesan Council's Dec. 13 meeting.

The 4.7 acre tract has an appraised value of $3.2 million, and the THC has submitted a letter of intent to the diocese, offering to pay that amount, said Paul Cooney, canon to the ordinary. But the land is not listed for sale, he said, and real estate brokers have suggested that it could be sold at a much higher price - between $4.5 and $6.75 million.

Spurred by the offer from the THC, council members debated whether the diocese should sell the property to the highest bidder, or pursue a values-based strategy, such as the one proposed by the THC - or both.

While the overall reaction to the THC's proposal was positive, some council members questioned whether it was the best use of limited diocesan resources.

"Do we have a policy on affordable housing?" Janice Booker asked. "I would be a little concerned about focusing on only one initiative."

"It seems to me as if we haven't talked about this enough to know what we really want to know," Salli Hartman said. "How does that fit in with the diocese's plan?"

The Rev. Martha Bonwitt said she lived in Prince George's County and was "horrified about what is happening" in the housing market. But she and several other council members said it did not seem fair to focus on affordable housing in Montgomery County when other areas of the diocese were just as needy.

"I can't get round the idea that if we don't do this, who is going to do it?" said the Rev. Joseph Trigg. Other members agreed that it might be wise to seize the opportunity being presented.

The Rev. Carleton Hayden suggested that the money might be better spent advancing the mission of the church, and could possibly be used to hire youth ministers to serve the less affluent congregations.

"I think this is a resource we ought to use for this type of strategic mission," he said.
"This is a great program, but is it the right program for us?" said the Rev. Patricia Downing. "I don't think we have the broader strategy."

"When I look at the THC proposal, I like to think of it as investing in God's work in the world," said Lori Perine. "That being said… if affordable housing is something we want to make a priority, can we not find a broader way of expressing that throughout the diocese?"

"We could make a decision in January, or we could make a decision not to make a decision," Cooney said. "To some degree, the sky's the limit, but that can be kind of paralyzing."

Council members agreed that more information was needed before a decision could be made, and asked the council's planning group to come back with some more specific options in 2006.

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