See inside new senior affordable housing at a downtown Lexington church
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- Church and developer converted unused church space into 38 senior affordable units.
- Project cost about $13 million, funded by tax credits, private and $4.2M local funds.
- All 38 units rented, model hopes to be duplicated.
In 2020, the Woodland Christian Church faced an uncertain future. Its building on East High Street needed extensive repairs.
Conditions in the building’s sanctuary were so dire — plaster was falling from the ceiling — church services were moved to the downstairs fellowship hall.
Now the congregation is back in its newly renovated sanctuary, and 38 seniors call the grounds of the Disciples of Christ congregation home. The building was constructed in 1924.
In partnership with local developer Winterwood Inc., the church officially opened an innovative restoration project March 26 which will preserve the historic building and meet a housing need in the community.
It will also bring new purpose and drive to the Woodland Christian Church, said Richard Day, a church member who spoke at a ceremony Thursday celebrating the opening of The Oaks at Woodland, the new senior affordable housing project.
“This is not simply a renovation, it’s a redefinition,” Day said. “It says that a church is not only the space where people gather, but it’s the good it creates beyond its walls.”
Zach Worsham, vice president of Winterwood, said the project cost about $13 million. Construction started in January 2025.
The project, like many affordable housing developments, was paid for using a combination of tax credits, private investment and local money. It was an innovative solution to one of Lexington’s most perplexing problems — how to build more affordable housing, Worsham said.
It took a lot of creativity to save a church and create new affordable housing in one of Lexington’s most desirable areas, Worsham said.
“When people act in unexpected ways, the places we create can turn into things we could never have imagined,” Worsham said.
The city of Lexington allocated $4.2 million to the project through a combination of affordable housing and other funds, said Mayor Linda Gorton.
The project will serve a growing need in Lexington, she said.
Roughly 25% of Fayette County’s population is over 55, Gorton said. Since 2014, the city has allocated $60 million in local funding to affordable housing which has been used to leverage $490 million in the private sector funding. The city is on track to have maintained or created 4,000 affordable housing units by the end of the year, Gorton said.
Gorton said Woodland Christian Church’s model can and should be duplicated at other Lexington places of worship.
“If you are a member of a faith congregation and you have a little space next to your church, your synagogue, your temple, go to your governing board and your pastoral leadership and ask them to take a look at this model,” Gorton said.
Worsham said Winterwood has been approached by other congregations looking at similar affordable housing projects. Those discussions are still in the early stages, he said.
How a therapy session led to affordable housing and saving a church
Fred Worsham of Winterwood was new to sobriety six years ago and was in therapy with a clinician who was a member of the Woodland Christian Church.
During a session, the doctor mentioned Woodland Christian Church’s problem. The church needed to do extensive repairs on its building but did not have the money to fix them. Fred Worsham then approached his family, including his brother Zach. Winterwood, which has completed other affordable housing projects in Lexington and across Kentucky, got to work and came up with the idea of packaging the much-needed renovations with affordable housing.
“When I look at where I was five or six years ago, I could not imagine standing here today not just as a sober person but as part of something like this,” Fred Worsham said. “So thank you for fostering a light and for bringing this project to life, because this, this right here is proof that even in the darkest moments, light is possible. “
38 senior housing units, all full
Unused classrooms and offices in the back of the church were converted into eight apartments, and a new building constructed on the lot next door now has 30 apartments. The housing units are for seniors aged 55 and older who make less than 60% of the area’s median income — or $45,720 for a family of two.
Zach Worsham said all 38 units have been rented.
Clarice Taylor moved into her apartment in the new building a month ago. Taylor, who was living in a walk-up apartment, could no longer manage stairs due to health issues. She found The Oaks at Woodland and said she can’t believe her luck.
The apartments are beautiful and brand new. She knows her neighbors.
But the location, right across the street from Woodland Park, is one of the key attractions. Living in a walkable area has improved her health and mobility, she said. From her window, she can see giant Oak trees and green space.
“I walk in the park every day,” Taylor said. She can also walk to nearby Woodland Park Triangle businesses, whose staff all know her name. Kroger on Euclid is not far away. It’s a quiet but lively neighborhood, she said.
“I just love to see and hear kids outside playing,” Taylor said.
Soon the Woodland Christian Church congregation will be one of Taylor’s neighbors.
Prior to and during construction, the congregation temporarily moved to a Winterwood building off of Newtown Pike for approximately three years.
On April 5, the congregation will return to celebrate Easter in its newly remodeled sanctuary for the first time in six years, said Rev. Christy Jo Harber, senior minister at Woodland Christian Church.
“Today we step into a new era through our pioneering partnership with Winterwood, boldly integrating affordable housing and ministry, and reimagining what it means to be church in the world today,” Harber said.
