You won’t be doing this project alone. You will always have some kind of development partner that you’re working with as well as a whole team of other professionals who do the work of your project. These roles include:

1. Developer: one or maybe two, depending upon the project

2. Property Manager: will operate the property when it’s finished

3. Architect: puts your vision on paper

4. General Contractor: makes sure the buildings is built

5. Lenders/other financial partners: banks and organizations who finance the project

Once you have your development partner, they will likely help bring along the other partners, based upon their experience. The developer you choose to work with is, therefore, a key decision in this process.

You could have several developers bid for partnership with you on this project, because your land is valuable and they want to build on it. This doesn’t mean that developers are going to take advantage of you. Rather, it means you have important leverage in this partnership, and should be bold about asking for what you want. In that boldness, though, remember your feasibility study and be aware of what is realistic and what isn’t. Many church committees have unrealistic expectations about how much their land is worth, so do your research and refer to your development consultant to help you in this process. Getting an accurate appraisal of your property is also critical, as we saw above.

Take the time to review different proposals and determine which partnership will be right for you and your congregation. Just Homes will help with this, both by reviewing the technical parts of the proposals and by partnering with you in prayerful discernment. Your development consultant will also help with this.

Development partnerships can take different forms. The most common, which Just Homes recommends, is a joint venture between two groups: your church (or, even better, the CDC your church has formed) and a developer with affordable housing experience. Sometimes a larger developer who has good relationships with banks (bringing access to financing) can also be part of the venture. 

For example, Emory Fellowship formed the CDC Beacon of Light, and did a joint venture with The Community Builders, a mission-driven developer. Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church formed Mt Lebanon CDC and did a joint venture with the mission-driven developer Mission First.

CDCs/Churches and Development Partners form a Joint Venture Agreement that outlines the following questions: 

1. Who has rights to make decisions? How will you resolve conflict?

2. What kind of confidentiality measures do both parties want?

3. Who is putting up money for risks? Who holds liability?

4. Who gets the rewards? (Who is entitled to the developer fee? How do you split it? What is the timing for delivery of this fee? What about continued cash flow?)

5. What does the exit strategy look like for both parties? Who owns the building at the end? How long must this building remain affordable?

Do not say “we’ll figure this out as we go along.” Know all the possibilities from the beginning. Assert your rights from the beginning of the partnership. Think long-term. This is why you have a housing lawyer -- to help you draw up this agreement.

Remember when you were researching and dreaming about what kind of project you could build? As you find your trusted development partner, you’ll begin to put that dream onto paper. You’ll work with your developer, architects, engineers, contractors, and other professionals who can help you come up with a realistic plan for your vision.

Remember you probably will not be able to do everything that you initially envisioned, so be ready to make some sacrifices. Know what points are non-negotiable and be ready to back up why those aspects are important to you. Again, data from your community can help you make your case.

Don’t forget your biblical justice lens during this part of the process. Be realistic and flexible, but don’t forget your vision. How can this project as a whole best reflect the vision of biblical justice we discussed earlier? Can you include hiring local workers as part of the plan, to ensure the project creates jobs for the local community? Are green spaces, community spaces, and/or social service resources part of your design? Are the units designed in a way that upholds human dignity of residents? 

You likely will not be able to include all of these elements, but incorporate as many as you can. They will likely increase the price of the development, but if you are confident in your call to ensure this housing is justice housing, it is worth the extra cost. This is the advantage to mission-centered, Kingdom-driven development.