George

I think Dave Norris, like myself a former Chair of the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, is one of the most compassionate and inventive housing advocates in Virginia..and in the U.S. I would like to add to Dave's list of possibilities for affordable housing: The Community Land Trust.

A CLT allows a non-profit or public entity to acquire land and then develop it for low and moderate income housing. A 99 year lease for the land at no cost, or low cost, allows the owner of the housing to acquire it an affordable rate. (Land prices are a major reason that housing prices are rising.) The owner of a house on CLT owned land has the attributes of ownership which we most value: security of tenure, privacy, and the ability to bequeath the lease and house to others. If the owner, however, decides to sell the house, the CLT has the right to buy it. The owner will be paid for improvements and some percentage of the increase in capital value, but the CLT, which owns the land, and has a long term interest in affordability, has the means to keep the unit affordable for another low income buyer. . The CLT concept provides a creative compromise between home ownership and affordable ownership over the long term.

If I am elected to the House of Delegates in the 57th District, I will promote the use of partnerships to promote "fair share" housing in housing markets. I will promote cooperative ventures between state agencies, charitable organizations, and local government to make these CLTs a key element in the regional housing future.

Rich Collins (electronic mail, May 6, 2005)