North Star Statement
"To transform 2.5 - 3 acres of church-owned land into a faith-rooted Teacher Village that provides stable, dignified housing for local educators and strengthens the Salisbury community through long-term workforce and neighborhood vitality.”
After more than three years of discernment, community listening, and internal planning, Milford Hills United Methodist Church (MHUMC) has formalized a development partnership with New Chapter Ventures (NCV), an organization that helps churches transform underutilized property into a shared community asset. Together, we are exploring how to transform 2.5–3 acres of church-owned land into a faith-rooted Teacher Village which is stable, dignified housing for local educators and supports long-term workforce stability and neighborhood vitality here in Salisbury.
It is our intention to include our neighbors and surrounding community in this visioning process. Fostering community and relationships is a core value for MHUMC. Through ongoing conversations with our neighbors, we have heard a wide range of reactions to this potential development. We want this page to be a clear, honest source of where we actually are in the process. We want to share what we know, what we're still studying, and how you can stay part of the conversation as it develops.
MHUMC will remain the steward of this land and this mission throughout the project. NCV holds no ownership stake in the property and serves as our development partner, helping bring this vision to life.
Will this be an apartment complex? The short and honest answer is no. While an early concept we shared with neighbors at our first community meeting did include denser, apartment-style options as one of a variety of options we explored in the beginning stages, that is not the direction we're pursuing. Our current vision is a small, walkable neighborhood of homes reserved for local educators, designed to complement the existing single-family homes around us.
We are currently in the predevelopment stage of this project. During this time, we are exploring site design, entitlement strategy, and property surveying. Because the property will need to be rezoned, additional public meetings are ahead as part of that process, and we're committed to sharing what we learn, including traffic, stormwater, and infrastructure studies, as they're completed.
MHUMC's commitment to this community runs deep. Since we began building on our property in 1957, we have recognized that we are a congregation in the heart of a community and have a deep heart for our community. Members of the congregation live out their faith through involvement in many of the local ministries in Salisbury, including a dedicated partnership with Isenberg Elementary School.
This project is a natural extension of that commitment. MHUMC's Development Team has already demonstrated what is possible: a recent renovation transformed five vacant classrooms into office space for Families First, Inc. This local nonprofit moved into the space in August of 2025.
The Teacher Village represents the next chapter in that same story.
Through conversations with leaders across the city and county, MHUMC and NCV learned that educators, especially those early in their careers, are increasingly unable to afford to live in the communities where they teach. Comparable educator housing communities across North Carolina report sustained demand, including waiting lists for residents.
North Carolina has developed numerous successful Teacher Housing initiatives across the state. This is an emerging trend that has proven the positive community impact of projects like this.
The project will be guided by the principles of New Urbanism, an approach to neighborhood design that prioritizes walkability, green space, human-scaled architecture, and community connection.
As we continue the pre-development work, our goals are to have a result with purpose-built homes, professionally managed, designed to complement the surrounding neighborhood, and reserved for the educators who teach in our community. This is not speculative development. It is a neighborhood asset, built for the people who already serve this community.
We’re excited to share each step of this project with our community. If you’d like to stay informed as new phases begin, feel free to join our email list using the link below.
A group of neighbors recently sent us a set of questions about this project. We have answered every one of them below. We have not left any of them out, and we have not rewritten any of them into something easier.
This page is where confirmed information about this project will live. This project in in predevelopment. That means a number of the answers below are "not yet." We would rather answer plainly when we do not yet have a complete answer due to the stage of the process, rather than invent an answer we cannot stand behind. We will add to this page as design, engineering, and City review produce real answers, and we will date each update.
Last updated: September 13, 2026
1. Was this site chosen because it truly offers the best outcome for the community as a whole, or just because it was the property available to develop.
Honestly, it began as the second. We think it has turned out to be the first. The church bought 1.6 acres off Bellevue Road in 1999, and an adjoining 0.32 acres on Statesville Boulevard in 2010. Our 2008 long-range plan called for building a gym, or a larger fellowship hall on this property. We no longer need that expansion. There is an additional area of original church property, where the old parsonage is, we are including, which brings to total acres to 2.5-3.
We started from a question every congregation with unused land eventually asks: what is this for? We looked at several answers. We landed on housing because of what is actually around our property. We have an established residential neighborhood, and 5 public and 3 private schools within 3.5 miles. The Teacher Village we envision is at a scale that fits what is already here. Not a complex. A small number of homes on a small piece of land. Through prayer and discernment, we believe we are called to use it this way.
2. We are asking - if opposition to this project remains strong, are you willing to consider alternatives and listen to your neighbors?
We are listening now, and we will keep listening. Here is what that means in practice, because we think a specific commitment is worth more than a general promise. As the site plan develops, we will show publicly where neighbor input changed the design and where it did not, and why. You should be able to hold that up against the plan and check it.
This project requires approval inside our denomination and through the City of Salisbury's public rezoning process. Both have formal, on-the-record opportunities for neighbors to be heard. We will continue listening closely.
3. What evidence led to the decision that a teacher-specific apartment complex, at this scale and in this location, was the right solution? Was there a survey of teachers? Was there input from the nearby schools?
Through our work with the Transformation Journey and Duke Divinity School’s Ormond Center’s Placemaking Lab, we had many conversations with local ministries and city leaders, such as the Economic Development Council, City Planning Office, and Communities in Schools. As we learned about our area, we shared our idea of teacher housing. Through our partnership with Isenberg Elementary School, we were able to do a very informal survey of their teachers and learned housing was a main issue among those teachers. To be clear about where this stands: no formal partnerships or endorsements have been secured, from the school system or anyone else. What we found was enough interest to convince us this was worth pursuing and could have a meaningful impact on our community now and for generations to come.
In 2026, in Rowan Salisbury Schools, a teacher with 0 years of experience will make $48,000 plus 12%, which equals $53,760. Estimated take-home pay after taxes, Social Security and Medicare is $3,781.35. Using 30% of take home pay for housing (although debated) means a first year teacher could afford $1,134 in monthly rent. The average monthly rent in Salisbury is $1,329.34 (Zillow, Rentcafe, and Rentometer).
Many teachers come out of college with large amounts of debt with an average of $342 in monthly student loans payments. Taking this into consideration, This brings their monthly income down to $3,439 and drops their 30% housing payment down to $1,031 a month.
4. Was there a formal request or partnership with Rowan-Salisbury Schools?
Formal partnerships have not been started or created yet because we are currently in the predevelopment stage of this project.
5. What privacy measures and buffers are being considered, and what are you committed to providing in the way of privacy for the property’s most immediate neighbors?
The site plan is not yet finalized. We are awaiting input from the city regarding buffers and setbacks.
6. A project like this typically adds well over a hundred additional daily vehicle trips — has that actually been studied, and by whom? How will the impact on an already problematic roadway be addressed when existing safety concerns have not yet been resolved?
Traffic impact analysis is part of the standard site development and permitting process. This will be completed in coordination with the City of Salisbury when required and we will publish the results here in full.
7. Where would stormwater from this project go, and who's responsible if it makes an existing problem worse?
Stormwater analysis is part of the standard site development and permitting process. This will be completed in coordination with the City of Salisbury when required and we will publish the results here in full.
8. And practically - how many mature trees would come down, and what would actually separate these new buildings from the homes near this property line?
The site plan is not yet finalized. We are awaiting input from the city regarding tree canopy requirements, buffers, and setbacks.
9. What does Milford Hills, as it exists today, actually gain from this project - and if the honest answer is "not much, and here's what it loses," how does the church weigh that?
Three things, and we would rather name them than be coy about it. First, land we are not using becomes something useful. That is the reason this started. Second, neighbors. People living on this ground would strengthen this neighborhood, and we would be glad to know them. Third — yes — long-term financial steadiness. A community placemaking project produces modest, predictable income over a long period. We do not think there is anything improper about a congregation making responsible use of property it already owns, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend the project is purely selfless.
10. Who actually owns this land and this building once it's finished - the church, New Chapter Ventures, or an outside investor?
The ownership structure is yet to be finalized. Regardless of structure, Milford Hills UMC will retain a position of influence and governance over the land and its mission.
11. Once construction is done, who is actually responsible for managing it day to day for the next twenty or thirty years?
Day-to-day management will be handled by a reputable, professional property management company. This has been a requirement of the project from the beginning.
12. I'd like to know if there's even one completed project in North Carolina where they've (New Chapter Ventures) built new multifamily housing like this from scratch?
New Chapter Ventures serves as project coordinator, responsible for assembling a team of highly experienced partners in design, construction, and engineering. To answer this question directly, New Chapter Ventures has not completed a project of this scale. Its founders, advisors, and partners have coordinated and led projects of this size and larger.
13. When I put the actual need next to the actual level of verified city support next to how this portion was and eventually how the development will be funded next to the actual ownership plan next to the actual experience of the people guiding and building this, how much of what we've been told is verified, and how much is just confidently stated? [AND]
14. Clarity on expecting trust when details have been misleading, websites changed overnight, and project overstated by consultants, lack of church outreach to neighbors.
This landing page is here to pass verified information to our congregation, neighbors, and the general public as it becomes available. We should also say something directly. Earlier this year we posted an early concept online before it was ready. It was too general to be useful, and it left people with an incomplete picture at exactly the moment they wanted specifics. That was our mistake. This page exists so it does not happen again.
15. Have current infrastructure capabilities been evaluated?
Infrastructure capacity is assessed as part of the standard site development and permitting process. This will be completed in coordination with the City of Salisbury when required and we will publish the results here in full.
16. Will the construction of a subsidized apartment complex make this a better community? Or a lesser? Or no effect?
We are not building an apartment complex. We have always presented the idea of a Teacher Village that provides stable, dignified housing for local educators and strengthens the Salisbury community through long-term workforce and neighborhood vitality. This has always been our north star statement and goal for this project.
17. Will the neighborhood be safer? Less safe? Unchanged? [AND]
18. Will travel -by auto, bike or foot- be safer? Less safe?
Regarding pedestrian safety, we are committed to improving conditions on Bellevue Road as part of this project, including sidewalk construction, something the current roadway lacks, except for around the church property.
Regarding the broader neighborhood, multiple peer-reviewed studies have found that professionally designed and managed workforce housing is associated with neutral to positive neighborhood safety outcomes. Research published in the Journal of Urban Economics (Freedman & Owens, 2011) and Applied Geography (Woo & Joh, 2015) found that well-managed, stable housing developments did not worsen — and in some cases improved — public safety in surrounding areas. The variables that determine outcomes are scale, design quality, and management standards.
For this project, our scale is a small walkable neighborhood; our design will follow New Urbanism styles, prioritizing lifestyle; our management standards will be upheld by a reputable, professional management company.
19. What will be the effect on property values? [AND]
20. How would the complex affect a potential homebuyer into the neighborhood?
Here is what the research says, and you should weigh it yourself. A MacArthur Foundation-funded synthesis published by the Center for Housing Policy and the NYU Furman Center reviewed the body of research on affordable housing and property values and found no consistent negative effect on surrounding properties. Its key conclusion: the type of affordable housing matters less than the quality of design, management, and maintenance. Well-designed, professionally managed developments in stable neighborhoods show no negative effect on property values and in some cases show a slight positive one.
Center for Housing Policy / NYU Furman Center — "Don't Put It Here!" (PDF)
21. How would NOT building a complex affect the future of the church? [AND]
22. What are other options for use of the property?
Leaving this land unused, or underused, is not a viable option. This project is not a rescue plan, and we are not in crisis. What is also true is that we plan for the long term. In 2023 we sat down and looked hard at our own numbers — our giving, our reserves, the age of our congregation, the building repairs coming. Like nearly every mainline congregation in America, we concluded that the way churches are funded is changing and that we should plan thirty years ahead rather than react in ten. That is not an emergency. It is what responsible stewardship of a seventy-year-old institution looks like.
Putting unused land to work is one part of that plan. We could simply sell the land but that would be a short-term gain and very low, if any, positive community impact. This is the version of that plan that also serves people who serve this community. If income were the only goal, there are simpler and considerably more profitable things to do with unused acreage than build homes that teachers can afford.
23. Who (what person or group ) is ultimately responsible for deciding whether this project moves forward or is put on pause?
This project requires approval from our local church’s committees, our denomination, and the City of Salisbury. No single individual or group holds sole decision-making authority. Because it is a lengthy process passing through multiple stages, final completion will take time. The timeline graphic on our landing page will demonstrate where we are in this process, the work we have completed and the work ahead of us.
A Closing Word
We are grateful to the neighbors who wrote these questions down and sent them to us. Some were hard to answer, and a few of the answers above are less than we wish we could give. This project is still early in the pre-development process. We would rather tell you that than fill the gaps with guesses.
Here is what happens next. As the studies, the site plan, and the City's process produce real answers, we will post them on this page and date them. We are not going to ask anyone to support something they have not had a chance to read.
And the reason we are doing this at all: there are teachers in Rowan-Salisbury schools who cannot afford to live in the community where they teach. We think land we are not using is worth something to them. We do not have all the answers but we are doing the slow and deliberate work to follow our north star statement, which is to transform 2.5 - 3 acres of church-owned land into a faith-rooted Teacher Village that provides stable, dignified housing for local educators and strengthens the Salisbury community through long-term workforce and neighborhood vitality.
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