Community Land Trusts for Sustainably Affordable Rental Housing Redevelopment

Community land trust (CLT) affordable housing projects are typically built in rural or economically depressed urban neighborhoods. In the midst of urban housing shortages and anti-gentrification organizing, local groups are turning to the CLT model to redevelop affordable housing in expensive urban centers and enable low-income households to remain in their communities and maintain access to jobs, services, and cultural amenities. This case study focuses on the synthesis of skills and strategies it took for a land trust and an affordable housing developer to join forces and transform 48 units of Section 8-funded apartments with expiring affordability covenants into 140 units of sustainably affordable housing. In addition to increasing the number of affordable units, most critically, the CLT’s ground lease design will help ensure their affordability indefinitely, unlike mainstream affordable housing projects. This study also identifies public policy changes that could facilitate similar projects and discusses the enduring challenges associated with the development of affordable housing in expensive market economies.