QCity Metro29%
Century-old Concord church transformed into attainable housing near emerging arts district 43%
By QCity Metro Staff31%
7/15/2026, 6:04:52 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 18 faulty reasoning types, including Optimism Bias, Appeal to Emotion, and Halo Effect, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 9.1% saturation with 46 hits. Analysis detected 450 faulty-reasoning hits from 506 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 46.6% and a BS Rank of 43% (12,559 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 57.40% of the article peer group.
A historic Concord church that sat vacant for more than two decades is getting a second life as attainable housing, anchoring a neighborhood seeing a surge in public and private investment.
Nonprofit housing developer WeBuild Concord celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, July 14, to launch leasing for The Sanctuary Apartments, a new 13-unit development on Kerr Street.
The project converts a centurmy-old former Baptist church in the historic Logan community into a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments aimed at local workers and families.
The Sanctuary Apartments exterior.
The developer deliberately framed the development as "attainable housing" rather than traditional affordable housing.
“Unfortunately, most people associate 'affordable housing' with public housing programs that segregate and cluster low-income people," Patrick Graham, CEO of WeBuild Concord, said in an email response.
"Attainable housing focuses on affordability and quality without segregating low to moderate-income residents.”
As a mixed-income property, the complex will serve a range of income levels rather than a single subsidized bracket.
“Applicants can be 80% below the area median income, and some may be above,” Graham said.
“We urge people to simply apply, as eligibility is professionally assessed.”
The Sanctuary's first residents: Tyanna Van Dyke and her 8-year-old daughter, Tytiana Van Dyke.
Courtesy of WeBuild Concord
The opening comes amid a growing national conversation around how underutilized houses of worship can be repurposed to address the country's housing crisis.
While some congregations choose to sell land or build adjacent units, WeBuild opted for an "adaptive reuse" approach by structurally transforming the church's interior.
The timing is intentional.
The building sits directly within one of Concord’s primary revitalization corridors, located near the Clearwater Arts Center, the Academy-Gibson Park area and a planned bike and skate park.
By placing affordable units directly in the path of the emerging Arts District, project leaders say they want to establish a foothold for working families before redevelopment makes the area cost-prohibitive.
QCity Metro previously reported on WeBuild Concord’s homeownership initiatives , which help residents throughout Concord and Cabarrus County secure affordable townhomes.
While those earlier efforts utilized a land trust model for home purchases in Logan, this latest project marks a creative expansion into dense, adaptive rental options.
“As this area continues to grow into a destination for arts, recreation and entrepreneurship, we want residents to feel welcomed, connected and part of what comes next,” Graham said.
Beyond adding housing stock, the project is designed to challenge traditional architectural stigmas surrounding affordable housing.
The units feature modern details like exposed ceilings, quartz countertops, sleek finishes and soft-close cabinetry.
A kitchen inside a unit of The Sanctuary Apartments.
"This does not look like what people often expect when they hear affordable housing," Graham added in a statement.
"That is intentional.
We believe quality and affordability should go hand in hand.
The people who power our local economy deserve homes built with care, dignity and long-term value."
Prospective residents can find leasing details and open house information at webuildconcord.org .
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