HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich.—May 29, 2025 On a rainy spring evening in West Michigan, roughly 75 people gathered under the front awning of the Kids' Food Basket Farm, some bringing their own chairs, others standing. They came prepared for the weather and for something more enduring: the formal launch of Agora Flats, a new Christian housing development for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
There were no gold shovels, no ribbon to cut. Cookies were served by local churches, and ice cream was provided by EV Construction. Attendees sang, prayed, and listened as community leaders described a vision rooted in faith and framed by practicality.
"Rain or shine, it's an honor to stand before you as a representative of the Agora Flats board," said Rollin Smith in his opening remarks. "I look around and just see faces filled with compassion, determination—a shared vision for something extraordinary."
Agora Flats is being planned at 104th Avenue and Ottagon Street. The development will include 38 apartments—22 reserved for individuals with IDD who meet income requirements, and 16 offered at market rate to residents who commit to participating in the community's religious and social life.
"This is going to be more than just a community," Smith said. "It's going to be a calling. It's a response to a need that has long gone unmet—a need for safe, loving, faith-based, community living for individuals with unique abilities."
Organizers are clear that Agora Flats is not a licensed care facility. It will not offer in-house medical services or staffing. Instead, residents with support needs will coordinate that care independently or with family. The community's structure leans heavily on participation from local churches, which are expected to provide programming and informal support.
"It will be a place of worship, of laughter, growth, and deep, abiding love," Smith added. "We trust that God is building something here—not just a place, but a purpose."
Among the evening's most notable moments was a prayer delivered by Nathan Buhl of Ventura Baptist Church. Buhl, who lives with cerebral palsy and autism, stood in front of the crowd to read a prayer he had typed and rehearsed in advance.
"Dear God, please let all the blessings we do be of your power and majesty," he said. "Thank you for names of lives with Down Syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, and other challenges who may reside here. We believe those who live in this community will live in your peace."
Stephanie, a key organizer of Agora Flats, offered context: "When I first met Nathan, he didn't communicate with words. He tapped each letter out on a board," she explained. "He wrote this prayer and practiced it so he could say it to you tonight."
Music was led by members of Family Church, who invited the crowd to sing along to worship songs like "Goodness of God" and "Let Your Kingdom Come."
Keith Stewart, offered a moment of reflection: "Lord, as we move forward into the project, bless the hands that build, the hands that design, and the hands that just do all the lifting—from board meetings to prayer circles to this property."
"As I've heard about this special place and the vision for what this will be, I can't help but think there are a lot of people reflecting the goodness of God to see this vision come into reality," said Ken Klett "That's exactly what we were put on this earth to do."
Potter encouraged attendees to visit the nearby "standing stones" that mark the future site. "So much of a dream like this happens before any dirt gets turned," he said.
He closed with a prayer: "We pray that through Agora and this facility, each person would feel restored and would feel healed, with a sense of independence."
Afterward, about a dozen attendees walked the land together, umbrellas in hand, taking in the site where construction will eventually begin.
Agora Flats proposes a hybrid model—merging elements of co-housing, intentional Christian community, and faith-rooted disability support. The apartments will include shared gathering spaces for activities like group meals, Bible studies, and informal fellowship. Market-rate tenants are expected to actively participate.
Participation in spiritual life is a requirement. Residents must agree to a shared community covenant that includes worship, service, and mutual responsibility.
Agora Flats is a $15 million development that operates without public funding, unlike traditional subsidized housing. It will be financed through a mix of tenant rent, private donations, and partnerships with local churches. Construction will commence once funding goals are met.
There has been great interest in the subsidized units, and several market-rate apartments have already been reserved. To support the project, Agora Flats is currently accepting donations.
"We are only at the beginning," Smith told the crowd, "but we step forward with hope, faith, and confidence in the One that goes before us."
"May this be a place where love dwells, where faith is shared," Smith said, "as on earth, so it is in heaven."
And as the song from earlier in the evening echoed in memory:
"All my life, you have been faithful. All my life, you have been so, so good."
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