Community Land Trusts (CLT)

CLTs are not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporations created to provide and preserve affordable housing for the benefit of the community by permanently retaining ownership of land on which affordable homes (for purchase) are constructed. As a result, the cost of a home to initial and future homebuyers is significantly below market as the value of land is not part of the acquisition. By separating ownership of the land from the structural improvements, the CLT is able to ensure that the homes remain perpetually affordable to very low, low and moderate income families. (Miami-Dade County, 2007)

To learn more about CLTs, check out the resources below from friends and partners. To join our local efforts with this committee, please contact us at info@sfcdcoalition.org. 

In September 2023, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners (BCC) passed a resolution entitled, "Establishing a Pilot Community Land Trust Program." The resolution states the goal of producing at least 50 units of affordable housing within a time period determined by the County Mayor to be feasible; authorizing and directing the County Mayor to select, or recommend the creation of, an organization to be the Community Land Trust for Miami-Dade County, to create program guidelines for the pilot program, and to identify funds and/or real property for inclusion in the pilot program; and directing the County Mayor to present written progress reports. 

The County Mayor's office has 180 days from the effective day (due March 4th, 2024) to present an initial report with guidelines for the pilot program including the following: 

• identification of the seed funding to be used and the real property to be conveyed, 
  
  
• identification of a Community Land Trust organization with which the County will partner for the pilot program or recommendation of the creation of a Community Land Trust organization by the County,
  
  
• and identification of a feasible timeline for the completion of the Community Land Trust Pilot Program, which timeline may include phases.

Several SFCDC members and PLPG supporters were explicitly named in the resolution as potential advisors in addition to SFCDC, including the South Florida Community Land Trust, SMASH, Miami Homes for All, and the University of Miami Office for Civic and Community Engagement. Our committee is exploring how we can best support this initiative accordingly by providing recommendations based on shared values centered on community involvement and needs. 

The intent to explore CLT as a strategy to provide infill housing and create deeply affordable housing for very-low and low-income residents and families has been a long and on-going journey for the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners (BCC). 

• April 2000: Commissioner Miguel Diaz de la Portilla sponsored a resolution, R-435-00, to establish an infill housing program using a model called "Green Infill Housing Machine." An interim report was provided to the BCC by the then county manager later.
  
  
• March 2001: Ordinance 01-47 was sponsored by Commissioner Dr. Barbara M. Carey-Shuler (D3), creating the Infill Housing Initiative, superseding R-435-00. 
  
  
• April 2003: Comm. Carey-Shuler sponsored resolution R-306-03 introducing CLT as a strategy for the Infill Housing Initiative. 
  
  
• June 2007: R-1434-06, sponsored by former Commissioner Barbara J. Jordan (D1) and co-sponsored by Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson (D3), which asked the County Manager at the time to draft a recommendations report for the BCC. 
  
  
• August 2016: Commission Daniella Levin Cava (D8) sponsored a resolution, file no. 161869 (no reference no. provided), which was deferred indefinitely. Some key concerns regarding this resolution, remarked by Commissioner Rebecca Sosa (D6), including: 
• Other jurisdictions had issues with the Community Land Trust, noting this took away transparency when dealing with public land. 
• Officials in other areas were arrested for transferring public land to Community Land Trusts which sold the properties at a huge discount to private developers. 
• Establishing a trust that's not under the Board’s control would present problems. 
• Inquiry on the source of funds, the location of the affordable housing, and the land trust’s members. 
• August 2020: Commission Eillen Higgins (D5) sponsored a resolution, R-870-20, to study options available to the County to explore the development of affordable housing using the LAND tool from the University of Miami. The report was created in partnership with the University of Miami Office of Civic and Community Engagement and Center for Community Progress entitled, Public Land Stewardship in Miami-Dade County: Unlocking Public Land for Public Good. 

• September 2023: Commissioner Marleine Bastien (D2) sponsored resolution R-781-23, co-sponsored by Commissioner Raquel Regalado (D7) to pilot the CLT and requesting a recommendations report due to the BCC March 2024.