CHARLOTTE — As the Diocese of Charlotte continues to face unprecedented growth, leaders are developing a new framework for evaluating land holdings and real estate opportunities to ensure they are managed effectively to support the Church’s mission across western North Carolina.
In a “real estate summit” last month, the diocese brought together Church leaders and Catholic professionals in the fields of real estate, development, law, construction and finance to help shape a comprehensive strategy for managing its property portfolio and future needs.
The summit examined how real estate can help address challenges created by growth – including overcrowded churches, rising school enrollment, expanding ministries and emerging pastoral needs. The goal is not simply to buy more land or construct new buildings, leaders said, but to anticipate and respond to real estate needs to more effectively serve its communities.
“As a significant landowner in western North Carolina, we need to be nimble as we invite and attract more people into the Catholic Church,” said Bishop Michael Martin, who convened the summit to seek advice and foster relationships with industry experts.
“We need to prepare now,” he said, “for realities we anticipate will be playing out in 20 years in our churches, schools and ministries.”
A comprehensive strategy would inform and guide future decisions about property acquisitions and sales, development opportunities and facility investments. It would help the diocese stay ahead of real estate trends and pay attention to areas in need of the Church’s presence as communities grow.
An estimated 575,000 Catholics live within the 46 counties encompassed by the diocese, and projections indicate another 30% increase in population by 2050.
“We’ve got a lot more people we’re trying to serve now,” said Emmett Sapp, the diocese’s director of real estate and construction, “so we’re looking at all the different ways to respond to that.” The diocese is already building to accommodate the influx – with more than 80 parish, school and ministry projects undertaken since 2018. The diocese owns or oversees more than 100 properties from Greensboro to Asheville and beyond, including 93 churches and 20 schools.
Summit participant David Longo, chairman of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and member of St. Matthew Parish in south Charlotte, said just as businesses do, the diocese must be ready to act when opportunities emerge.
“A comprehensive real estate strategy will give the diocese a consistent, overarching framework for making decisions, leveraging opportunities and finding creative ways to manage growth,” said Longo, one of a dozen local leaders who will continue to help guide the diocese.
A real estate strategy would help determine whether to expand a church or build a new one, purchase adjacent property near a parish or school, and acquire land in fast-growing areas for future ministry sites.
It would also help leaders further evaluate major projects, among them:
- The future of the diocese’s aging Pastoral Center in uptown Charlotte
- The possible location of a new parish in Charlotte that could also serve as a future cathedral site
- Planning for possible Catholic schools in currently underserved areas.
Complicating the diocese’s ability to respond to growth, leaders noted, is the fact that securing land is becoming more difficult as costs rise and availability declines. Land acquisition is among the diocese’s priorities in its $150 million philanthropic initiative “Making Room – for More to Know the Love of Jesus,” which the diocese launched this month.
Diocesan leaders said they were inspired by the urgency of growth as well as the diocese’s history of strategic investments. In the 1980s, then-Bishop John Donoghue and his chancellor, Monsignor John McSweeney, bought land along the future Interstate 485 corridor before the Charlotte beltway was built, enabling the eventual establishment of St. Matthew, St. Mark and St. Luke parishes. Today, those congregations are among the diocese’s largest, serving 50,000 people.
Acquiring land in high-growth areas is only one option, Sapp said. Others might include expanding facilities, creating new parishes, or adding Masses to accommodate more people. Another focus is the diocese’s inventory of vacant and underutilized land.
The summit marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to ensure responsible stewardship of the resources, said Matt Ferrante, the diocese’s chief financial officer.
A Real Estate and Facilities Subcommittee is also being formed under the recently expanded Diocesan Finance Council to bring together professionals with deep expertise who will help advise diocesan leaders.
Leaders agree the goal is to take a forward-looking approach, rather than waiting until growth pressures become critical.
“We know the growth occurring throughout western North Carolina will continue to shape the needs of our parishes, schools and ministries,” Ferrante said. “Our goal is to be proactive, strategic and thoughtful in how we steward our facilities and real estate resources in support of the Church’s mission.”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle