Supporters gathered for a groundbreaking to kick off construction of Urban Hope’s new headquarters in the former Tenth Street Baptist Church building, which also will house four apartments. (Jonathan Spiers photos)
A mixed-use conversion of a former East End church building is creating four new residences while providing an area housing nonprofit with a new home of its own.
Urban Hope has started work to turn the former Tenth Street Baptist Church at 2300 Fairmount Ave. into the nonprofit’s new headquarters and four apartments that it will rent out.
Supporters and staff held a groundbreaking ceremony last month to kick off the $2 million project, which is targeted for completion this April.
The project will convert the sanctuary and other interior spaces into offices for Urban Hope, which Executive Director Sarah Hale said has outgrown the smaller space it has rented at 1111 N. 25th St. The nonprofit will occupy 2,700 square feet of the 4,800-square-foot Fairmount building, which will include a second-story rear addition to accommodate the apartments.
A rendering shows the second-floor rear addition as it will appear along 23rd Street. (Images courtesy Urban Hope)
The new upstairs space will house a two-bedroom apartment totaling 700 square feet, while another two-bedroom totaling 750 square feet will occupy the first floor at the rear of the building. Two 400-square-foot studio units will be in the building’s basement.
Hale said the apartments will be intended for renters with low incomes and those using housing-assistance vouchers.
“We want to make it as affordable as we can,” Hale said. “We’re trying to raise as much money as we can so that we can keep the rents very low.”
Executive Director Sarah Hale with Urban Hope Board Chairman Dontrese Brown during the ceremony.
Hale said the building came to Urban Hope’s attention when previous owners Steve Markel and Garrett Augustine were planning to redevelop it as commercial space. Markel, a local businessman and namesake of insurance giant Markel Corp., led the nearby mixed-use development that includes The Market at 25th and Reynolds Community College’s The Kitchens at Reynolds culinary school.
“We asked if we could buy it, and they said yes,” Hale said of the Fairmount building. “We thought it would make a great mixed-use project.”
An LLC tied to Urban Hope bought the property in 2022 for $345,000, property records show. Markel and Augustine’s LLC had purchased it the previous year for just under $166,000. The city’s assessment for the property when Urban Hope bought it was $151,000.
In addition to the second-floor rear addition, improvements will include new entrance stairs and walkways.
The new space will include a conference room and gathering area and generally more room for Urban Hope’s staff, which Hale said has grown to five with two more positions to be added soon.
The nonprofit focuses on facilitating homeownership for households with low incomes specifically in Richmond’s East End. Recent projects have included two houses it built with Eagle Construction of VA at 21st and W streets. It’s currently planning 13 new homes in 2025, including 11 two-bedroom apartments and two studios.
At last month’s ceremony, Urban Hope Board Chairman Dontrese Brown said the groundbreaking had been “a long time coming.”
Officials taking part in the groundbreaking included City Councilmember Cynthia Newbille, third from right.
“We’re super-excited to have our own headquarters and be able to offer space to the community as well as four affordable apartments within this facility,” Brown said, later adding that the project would accommodate growth and is “an opportunity to be more connected with the community here.”
“This is big for us,” he said. “We’ve outgrown our old space, which is a good thing, and this will give us a bit more presence in the community and allow us to grow even more.”
City Council representative Cynthia Newbille was among those who gathered at the building at Fairmount and 23rd Street at last month’s event.
SMBW is the architect on the project, and UrbanCore Construction is the general contractor. Engineering firms include PermitZIP and Blue Nest Structural. Other firms involved include Baker Development Resources, HD Advisors and H3 Advisors.
When did the City start allowing basement units??? They forbid many developers both on old apartments conversions (some originally with basement units) for years and I remember in the ADU discussions it was asked about basement being made into ADUs and staff said except for those with level grade walkouts (no steps up) basements were would not be allowed. Is this now going to be okay with SUPs?