In the United States, there has been a significant decline of religious affiliation, leading to an enormous number of shrinking congregations left to try and maintain large buildings and surplus land. But new legislation would add Massachusetts to the list of states seeking an innovative solution to make it easier by developing those excess assets into much-needed affordable housing.

The legislation, commonly known by the acronym “YIGBY,” would give faith-based organizations by-right approval to build multi-family housing on excess land as long as the parcels comply with building codes and environmental standards. Since 2022, California, Maryland and Washington have passed similar laws. At the municipal level, Atlanta, San Antonio and Seattle are among the cities with initiatives to encourage faith-based groups to build affordable housing on their surplus land.

“Initiatives like these have the potential to be a win-win proposition, supporting the missions of faith-based organizations that are connected with the neighborhoods where they are rooted while making a significant dent in the overall Massachusetts’ housing shortage,” said Rachel Heller, CEO of the Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA).

Potential for 80K Units
In California, the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley estimated that faith-based organizations and not-for-profit colleges (also covered by that state’s legislation) owned over 170,000 acres of land – five times the size of Oakland – that could be developed into affordable housing.

An initial estimate conducted by undergraduates at Boston College’s Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action found that housing development on Massachusetts property owned by faith-based organizations could conservatively yield up to 80,000 units, nearly 40 percent of the commonwealth’s estimated shortfall of more than 200,000 units.

The YIGBY bill would allow multifamily housing development at between 30 and 50 units per acre by right, with so-called density bonuses for projects that include either a higher percentage of affordable units or units that would be affordable to lower income households.

Without the legislation, faith-based groups would need to have excess land rezoned before they could develop it into housing, a lengthy and expensive process. The cost of rezoning makes projects less likely to be financially feasible, while the threat of appeals and lawsuits from neighbors that often accompany rezoning add extended delays, imposes additional costs and make the ultimate outcome highly uncertain.

Many religious leaders are already engaged in housing affordability, whether as a pillar of a larger social justice ministry or in service to vulnerable congregants. The fact that these leaders are trusted community stakeholders not only makes them well positioned to give voice to pressing community needs, but also to shepherd new housing.

Impactful Support for Congregations
In addition to the benefits housing development brings to communities and the economy, it can also provide impactful support to faith-based organizations.

With too many shrinking congregations trying to maintain property they can’t afford, the National Council of Churches estimates that 100,000 congregations – about a quarter of those currently in operation – could be forced to close by 2050. A ground lease to a developer, for example, could benefit a faith-based group by increasing its revenue and eliminating maintenance costs for structures and other property it no longer uses.

Notably, redeveloping sacred spaces where family weddings, funerals and baptisms took place is fundamentally unlike repurposing a factory. And spaces such as large sanctuaries do not lend themselves to multifamily housing. But others, such as outbuildings, meeting halls, dormitories and surface parking lots are well suited to either adaptive reuse or new construction. And providing housing for low- and moderate-income households fits squarely within the missions of most faith-based organizations by addressing a critical societal need.

Out-migration from Massachusetts has accelerated in recent years and survey after survey puts housing prices atop the list of reasons for the departures.

“There is a dearth of homes for nurses, teachers and firefighters who can’t live in the communities they serve, as well as the seniors and young people who are priced out of their long-time communities,” said Cindy Rowe, CEO of the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA).

The YIGBY bill is sponsored by state Rep. Andy Vargas and state Sen. Brendan Crighton, both of whom see housing production as a top priority. CHAPA has begun building a coalition of organizations such as the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, the Archdiocese of Boston’s Planning Office for Urban Affairs, JALSA and the Pine Street Inn.

Passing zoning reform is never easy in Massachusetts, but this new bill uniquely appeals to a broad base of support with deep local roots. As Sen. Crighton notes, “This has the potential to be a real gamechanger.” And frankly, that is just what we need.

Susan Gittelman is executive director of B’nai B’rith Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer currently working in Boston, Cambridge, MetroWest and the North Shore.

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