The organizations sell homes to low-income buyers at rates far below market prices, putting homeownership within reach for more families.

An article by Josh Cohen in Next City describes how community land trusts are helping low-income Seattle families become homeowners. Organizations such as the Homestead Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County make homes available at costs much lower than the median home price, which in the Seattle area is currently $855,000.
“Like any other homeowner, land trust homeowners get to live in their home for as long as they want (and as long as they’re able to keep up their mortgage payments). It doesn’t matter if their income increases or the household size changes, the home is theirs.” As a trade-off, if the homeowner does decide to sell, they must do so at a restricted price—meaning that their homes are prevented from appreciating at the same rate as market rate houses.
For many, the tradeoff is worth it, as “community land trust homeowners almost certainly could not become homeowners on the open market in Seattle, so it’s equity they would not have otherwise built as renters.”
The article describes the history of the community land trust model, which was first created in Georgia in 1969 and has roots in anti-displacement activism. Today’s land trusts are evolving the model to mitigate rising land costs, in some cases by building duplexes and other multifamily housing types.
FULL STORY: In Seattle, Community Land Trusts Are Allowing Low-Income Families To Buy A Home

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
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Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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