The Community Land Trust Model: Toward Best Practices for Promoting, Sustaining, and Growing

Abstract

This project was completed as part of a year-long partnership between Carver County and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (http://www.rcp.umn.edu). The Carver County Community Development Agency (CDA) administers the Carver County Community Land Trust to provide affordable homeownership options. The CDA received a grant to develop four land-trust units in the City of Waconia, and hopes to expand the land-trust program to other cities in Carver County. However, the CDA has faced opposition in the past from city elected officials. The goal of this project was to explore how the CDA can creatively promote community land trusts to resistant or skeptical elected officials and residents in cities throughout Carver County. In collaboration with project lead Brenda Lano from the Carver County CDA, a Ph.D. student in PA 5261: Housing Policy, identified policies, marketing strategies, and outreach tools successfully used by other land trusts to promote affordable housing goals. A final report from the project is available.