Concord nonprofit buys local church to build affordable housing

CONCORD, N.C. — A historic church in Concord is getting a makeover.

WeBuild Concord, an affordable housing nonprofit launched by the city, just bought the historic Kerr Street Baptist Church to develop it into 15 affordable housing and workspace units.

The different apartment units will range from a studio to three bedrooms, with two buildings on the property for residents to pick from.

A local firm, Carlos Moore Architects, leads the church’s redesign.

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WeBuild Concord says the redesign of the Kerr Street Baptist Church combines the nonprofit’s goal of increasing public access to affordable housing by repurposing existing buildings.

CEO of WeBuild Concord, Dr. Patrick Graham, says the church’s makeover is just the tip of the iceberg for later projects in the Kerr Street area.

“The area surrounding Kerr Street has a developing arts community and will have a skate park, bike trails, and other economic and social amenities,” Graham said, “It is a win for the City of Concord, residents, and businesses when you combine housing with economic development nearby. Besides that, we need more multi-family projects in addition to single homes to address the housing shortage.”

The property was found with the help of Joslyn Blackburn, a property acquisition committee member with WeBuild Concord.

“I was able to see WeBuild’s vision for this property,” Blackburn said, “It will continue what the City of Concord has started regarding revitalizing the area and creating a wonderful place to live and work with great recreation.”

For more information about WeBuild Concord and its projects, please click here.

(WATCH BELOW: Need for affordable housing increases as availability decreases, Meck County reports)