Colorado Springs Opens Second Affordable Housing Project on Church Land, Following State Legislative Changes
Colorado Springs has seen the opening of its second affordable housing project built on church-donated land. Sunrise at Shiloh Mesa, a 50-unit development for seniors aged 62 and older, is a partnership between Greccio Housing and the Center for Strategic Ministry, a nonprofit arm of Woodmen Valley Chapel. The church donated 1.1 acres of land, valued at $900,000, to Greccio, which helped keep the debt service low and, consequently, the rent affordable. This project follows the 2024 opening of The Village at Solid Rock, another affordable housing development on church land. These initiatives align with recent state legislative changes, including a new law signed in March, which allows faith-based organizations, public schools, colleges, nonprofits, transit agencies, and housing authorities to bypass local zoning regulations to streamline the permitting process for affordable housing projects. This broader measure succeeded a failed 2025 proposal championed by Governor Jared Polis, known as 'Yes In God’s Bac... 
