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Borough Hall offers 'Divine Dwellings' support to help houses of worship build affordable housing
Summary
The borough president's office restarted a funded "Divine Dwellings" cohort to help about 10 houses of worship navigate rezoning, financing and contracting so congregations can retain ownership of new apartments on their sites.
Borough Hall revived a program called "Divine Dwellings" to help houses of worship that own large parking lots or parcels move into affordable-housing projects while preserving congregational ownership of the site.
The office said it recruits a cohort of about 10 houses of worship and provides technical assistance through contracting and developer-selection so that, where possible, the congregation retains ownership of every apartment and the site. Officials described the program as funded by the borough and said two houses of worship completed the previous cohort but some drop out because of rezoning and financing hurdles.
Organizers told boards to identify houses of worship in their districts with development potential and to contact the borough office for help exploring the program. Borough staff said they will work with the city to identify subsidy and rezoning avenues when appropriate, and they cautioned some projects require rezoning or extensive site upgrades that can limit participation.
Next steps: borough staff said another cohort of approximately 10 locations is starting and invited community-board referrals.
