From Abandoned Church to Community Anchor: How Small-Scale Development Revives Neighborhoods
A church in Duncanville, Texas which was given a new lease on life.
“Turn what you have into what your neighborhood needs.”
That’s the spirit behind the transformation of a church in Duncanville, Texas—captured in a new video from Jon Jon Wesolowski. Once a quiet property with an aging sanctuary and empty classrooms, this space now hums with activity thanks to a bold, incremental redevelopment effort led by Monte Anderson of Neighborhood Evolution.
The project took a familiar structure—a church with underused wings and surplus land—and turned it into a walkable, mixed-use node at the heart of the community. Office wings were converted into affordable commercial spaces for local entrepreneurs. A pet groomer, beautician, and even a dance studio now serve the neighborhood. The church’s original sanctuary has since returned to use as a worship space, but now it's integrated into a broader, more dynamic ecosystem.
What made this possible wasn’t a huge capital campaign or a master-planned redevelopment—it was a shift in mindset. By breaking large buildings into smaller, manageable pieces, and adding basics like windows, doors, and street visibility, Neighborhood Evolution proved that small changes can unlock big outcomes. The result: safer streets, stronger local businesses, and a renewed sense of place.
This is exactly the kind of project more cities need—but many local leaders don’t know where to start. That’s why Strong Towns created the Housing-Ready Cities Toolkit. It’s a free step-by-step guide for communities that want to clear the barriers to small-scale development, remove unnecessary red tape, and make it easier to turn vacant lots, aging churches, and empty storefronts into housing and economic opportunity.
If you’ve ever looked at an underused property and thought, “Why doesn’t someone do something with that?”—this toolkit is your next step.
👉 Get your copy: strongtowns.org/housingready
