Photo illustration by Justin Vaughan
A lot of factors contribute to the cost of housing, but chief among them is that there just isn’t enough housing to go around. Demand is greater than supply, and it’s draining Virginians’ bank accounts.
Faith organizations are trying to enter the market, offering to develop land they already own into affordable housing — homes and apartments where occupants pay no more than 30% of their income for their rent or mortgage. But zoning laws are getting in the way. State legislators are trying to help faith communities circumvent current zoning and special-use permit laws to put up housing more quickly.
In Virginia, counties and cities control their own zoning. In many cases, the properties owned by faith communities aren’t zoned for apartments, which are considered “high density” and are often how affordable housing is built.
Churches, synagogues and mosques that want to develop their land into affordable housing often need either approval to rezone the property or a special-use permit. Faith communities across the country have found it difficult to get their requests approved without the help of an expert, says Alex Horowitz, project director for the Housing Policy Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Experts can cost a lot — money that many religious organizations don’t have.
Plus, zoning approvals and red tape can add years to development plans. The time it takes to turn church land into affordable housing is “a painful topic,” says Nina Janopaul, president of the board of trustees at Virginia Diocesan Homes, a nonprofit affiliate of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia that helps churches find ways to develop their land into community resources, such as low-income and senior housing. “I tell people never less than five years, maybe 10.”
In 2024, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, introduced Senate Bill 233, the Faith in Housing for the Commonwealth Act. The bill, which has been continued to the 2025 session, would allow faith communities to develop affordable housing on land they already own without being subject to some zoning laws.
The bill, if passed, would also require housing built on a faith group’s property to be run by a property manager with experience in affordable housing; the faith group would not be allowed to operate the development — unless, of course, they have that experience. It’s all subject to Virginia fair housing laws, meaning faith organizations can’t rent based on a tenant’s religious beliefs.
Supporters say the bill would alleviate friction that stretches projects into years or decades. Critics believe it sets a bad precedent, usurping local authorities’ sovereignty over their towns and applying unequal rights to property owners.
“When you have two properties side by side, and they both have the same zoning on them, but by virtue of one property having a different type of owner, they get more property rights — that’s problematic,” says Joe Lerch, director of local government policy at the Virginia Association of Counties.
The bill was reviewed in committee in January, when lawmakers expressed concerns that it weakens local government’s say in land use. For now, it’s being reviewed by the housing commission, which is chaired by Hashmi.
“In many states, bills are not passing the first time they’re introduced,” Horowitz points out. “And state lawmakers are getting comfortable with the concept of taking a more proactive role in ensuring that housing for their constituents is not blocked by local regulatory barriers.”
Hashmi’s goal is to reintroduce the bill next session following revisions by the housing commission, she says. “I want to get the legislation in a position by next year where we know that going into session, we have agreement.”
