SOCIAL ENTERPRISE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

COMMUNITY LAND TRUSTS

ABOUT ME 2

DIRECTOR, CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING FEDERATION OF BC


DIRECTOR,  COMMUNITY LAND TRUST FOUNDATION OF BC

(FOUNDING PRESIDENT 2015 - 2016)

PRESIDENT, COHO MANAGEMENT SERVICES SOCIETY

Yuri Artibise
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST?

▸ A Community Land Trust (CLT) is a non-profit organization

that owns land and puts it to use for community benefit.

▸ Land is available in perpetuity for affordable housing.

▸ Housing typically targets low-and moderate-income

residents in both rental and ownership models
COMMUNITY | LAND | TRUST
COMMUNITY | LAND | TRUST

COMMUNITY

▸ The CLT is a membership based organization open to all

people who live or work within a specific geographic area.

✓ Independent, aiming for self- sufficiency and not-for

(private) profit

✓ Community-based, owned and managed

✓ Engaged in the economic, environmental and social

regeneration of a defined area
COMMUNITY IS THE FIRST
WORD OF A CLT - AND THE
MOST IMPORTANT WORD.

Bill Bewley, 

Chair, Keswick CLT (UK)
COMMUNITY | LAND | TRUST

LAND
▸ CLTs offer a distinctive approach to affordable real estate by
separating the ownership of land (property) from the ownership of
individual dwellings or businesses (improvements).

✓ Parcels of land are removed from the real estate market and
become community-owned.

✓ The CLT owns the land and puts it to use for community benefit.

✓ Designed to ensure the long-term stability of tenure.

✓ Ownership of land provides basis for social enterprise.

“SPECULATION-FREE ZONES”

Frances Bula, 

The Globe & Mail, February 16, 2017
COMMUNITY | LAND | TRUST

TRUST

▸ The CLT is a democratically governed organization.

✓ Through a unique board structure, meaningful

community based decision-making is possible.

✓ Actively involved in partnerships between the

community, voluntary, private and public sector

✓ This alternative property ownership model encourages

permanent affordability and wealth-building.
WHEN YOUR MANDATE IS TO
DELIVER AFFORDABLE HOUSING,
YOUR MATH IS VERY DIFFERENT
FROM OTHER DEVELOPERS.

Kira Gerwing 

Manager of Community Investment, Vancity
CLTS AS SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

▸ Social-Public Partnerships, vs Public-Private Partnerships

▸ Social-Public-Private Partnerships (?)

NEW REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT MODEL

▸ Community-led development

▸ Portfolio approach (development, operating)

▸ Community partnerships

▸ Private equity

▸ Leveraging of public assets

▸ Platform for future opportunities (capacity building and

surplus sharing)
POTENTIAL PARTNERS
▸ Non-profit housing providers (including co-ops)who want to redevelop
their properties

▸ Municipalities who want to build affordable housing

▸ Provincial housing agencies

▸ Churches

▸ Universities

▸ And private developers who want or need to include an affordable

housing component in their own developments

▸ Others?
CLTS IN BC

▸ CHF BC has worked to create land trusts over three

decades.

▸ These organizations share a common mission:

to support co-operative and non-profit housing and the
low- and moderate income households that depend on it
now and may look forward to it in the future.

▸ Similar land trusts operate in other parts of Canada, the UK

and the United States.
COMMUNITY LAND TRUST FOUNDATION OF BC

▸ A non-profit society serving as the real estate

development arm of the Co-operative Housing Federation
of BC.

▸ Our mission:
To acquire, create and preserve affordable housing for
future generations with a focus on development and
redevelopment of co-operative and non-profit housing.
LESSONS

▸ Critical Factors

✓ Capital

✓ Capacity

✓ Partnerships

✓ Scale
QUESTIONS?
DISCUSSION
CONTACT ME

YARTIBISE@CHF.BC.CA

CLTRUST.CA
Yuri Artibise