A church with a shrinking congregation sold its land to SquareOne Villages to develop the Peace Village Co-op, a 70-unit housing development that’s both a community land trust and limited-equity co-op. How does combining these shared-equity homeownership models work?
Providing low-cost access to land held in a commons while enabling private ownership of the homes on that land, CLTs keep housing affordable and benefit minority communities who have suffered for decades from unfair lending practices and discrimination. Words by Mark Roseland, Professor of Community Resources and Development, Arizona State University; and Christopher Boone, Dean and Professor of Sustainability, Arizona State University.
An Expert Q&A. We spoke with Tony Pickett, chief executive officer of the Grounded Solutions Network, to learn more about how CLTs can be used as a mechanism to ensure long-term affordability in gentrification-prone areas, promote inclusive community development, and advance racial and economic justice.
National Housing Conference and Center for Housing Policy
Rick Haughey, Ryan Sherriff
This report examines specific, actionable non-statutory changes that the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development—and partner agencies—could adopt to better facilitate and encourage the
development and preservation of affordable and workforce housing in location-efficient areas. These
are areas near transit, employment centers, or other essential services that allow families to reduce the
number and extent of necessary car trips. Transit, as defined in this report, encompasses reliable bus, bus
rapid transit, streetcar, light, and heavy rail commuter service, and subway. Transit-oriented
development (TOD) refers to new residential, commercial, and mixed-use development and the
preservation, renovation, or rehabilitation of real estate within walking distance of these modes of
transportation
The study examines non-residential programs and activities implemented by CLTs and focuses on the urban agriculture and commercial development sectors. Based upon case studies of 13 CLTs, this paper presents findings on: (1) the roles of CLTs in non-residential projects; (2) the benefits and challenges of non-residential projects for CLTs; and (3) implications for CLT practice.
Community land trusts, better known for permanently affordable housing, expand into commercial spaces for a wide range of reasons, and in a wide range of ways.
