Title
Briefing on the Thurston Housing Land Trust (THLT)
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive a briefing on the Thurston Housing Land Trust. Briefing only; no action requested.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive a briefing on the Thurston Housing Land Trust.
Staff Contact:
Stacey Ray, Senior Planner, Community Planning and Development, 360.753.8046
Presenter(s):
Dan Rubin, President, Thurston Housing Land Trust
Susan Davenport, Board Member, Thurston Housing Land Trust
Ally Upton, Housing Director, South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity
Background and Analysis:
Thurston Housing Land Trust is a not-for-profit community land trust (CLT). Our mission is to create, develop, and preserve affordable housing for low to moderate income people using the community land trust model. We will operate throughout Thurston County. Like other types of not-for-profit land trusts (focused on such missions as preserving farmland, environmentally sensitive land or historic sites), CLTs retain ownership of the land in perpetuity, outside the speculative market. Unique to CLTs is the focus on applying this very long-term perspective to affordable housing. There are over 300 CLTs nationwide. About 30 are in the Pacific Northwest (many profiled in a Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition brochure we provided to staff).
THLT was formed over the past two years by a small group of local people with strong and often very long-standing desire to take speculative pressures out of at least some residential properties. One of our founders, Susan Davenport, will address her own history of interest in this area.
Like most CLTs, we use a highly democratic governance model. Our Board, currently numbering nine Trustees, is equally divided among three groups, all elected by our Members: (1) actual homeowner lessees (or before there are enough, others able to represent their interests); (2) other THLT members; ...
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