About the Arizona Community Land Trust

Our Mission

AZCLT holds and protects land for the larger community: providing long-term access to land for affordable housing, community gardens and agriculture, and other community initiatives while facilitating a deeper community connection and recognition of our mutual interdependence with all Life.

Community Land Trust Model

What would it take for us to become true stewards of the earth?  The Community Land Trust (CLT) model offers a direction. When we live on land that is a part of a CLT, we enter into a different relationship with the earth, we are no longer owners. We occupy the land through a long-term, inheritable and renewable lease agreement. This lease agreement gives us the right to use but, not abuse the land. We assume a position of responsibility and care.

The Community Land Trust model promotes land tenure based on stewardship of land and its resources for the larger community; ecologically responsible use of land and resources; regeneration of the commons; and the creation of affordable housing, community based agricultural programs, cooperatives and other related initiatives. These programs that serve lower income residents by meeting basic life needs cannot survive without some form of subsidy. Affordable housing and community-based agriculture cannot compete for land that is geared to make the highest possible return for investors. Land that has been removed from the speculative market and designated as a community asset is needed to provide a stable support for these programs.

How do we create community land? We work together!

What We Do

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From our Articles of Incorporation

Article 2. Purpose:

Recognizing that humanity and its quality of life depend upon the integrity of its relationship with the Earth as a living entity, the Arizona Community Land Trust will explore, create and educate about ways to be in right relationship with ourselves, one another, the Earth and its many ecosystems through engaging the community in creating self-sustaining initiatives which increase the capacity of and opportunity for individuals to collaborate in the preservation and regeneration of the commons through the conservation and stewardship of land and its resources.

Article 3. The character of affairs of the corporation will be:

To acquire land and/or interests in land; to retain and/or convey interests in land on such terms and conditions as will conserve the resources of the land and protect the environment of the local communities; to retain for the local communities any unearned increment in the market value of the land.

To promote the health and vitality of local communities by undertaking programs to create affordable housing for very low, low and moderate income, elderly, handicapped, homeless or otherwise disadvantaged people.

To promote the health and vitality of local communities by undertaking programs to create sustainable and affordable food sources by conserving and regenerating arable land and its resources and establishing and/or supporting small scale, sustainable agricultural initiatives.

To do research and create educational programs and opportunities concerning: ecologically responsible local land and natural resource use and management, including agricultural practices; the conservation and regeneration of the natural resource base of the communities, and responsible long term stewardship of the land.

To create educational programs and opportunities regarding access to low cost affordable housing.

To support the creation of community based initiatives and enterprises; and to promote communication and cooperation among such initiatives.

To do any and all things incidental to the furtherance of the above stated activities.

Our Board

Richard Starling

Tearsa Saffell

Patricia Ronan

David Hill

Dean Brennan

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