Kamloops City Council has unanimously supported the establishment of the Kamloops Community Land Trust Foundation, aimed at providing and preserving attainable housing in the Tournament Capital.
It says the purpose of the non-profit will be to advance the creation of more attainable housing by preserving, acquiring, and providing land as well as actively developing new partnerships to support housing development.
“Land trusts take the land price out of the cost of development, reducing the end price of the home,” Marvin Kwiatkowski, the City’s Development, Engineering, and Sustainability Director, said.
“This model allows the land trust to prioritize the community’s long-term housing needs and work with community partners to fill the gaps.”
David Freeman, the city’s Assistant Development, Engineering and Sustainability Director, said Tuesday the foundation will work to secure housing opportunities for low to moderate-income people, including seniors. He told Council it won’t be affiliated with any social agencies, and won’t provide supportive housing.
“We will be able to develop mixed and single-use purpose housing, condos or fourplexes, and acquire, hold, lease and sell real estate,” Freeman said. “Receive donations, encourage research and education into community land trusts, and will promote and model innovative land use planning principles.”
Freeman said work to establish the Land Trust Foundation began in 2018. He said the city was given a $95,000 grant in 2019 to develop a guide to establish the community land trust. Another grant has been received to help launch the foundation, Freeman said.
Kwiatkowski, Corporate Services Director David Hallinan, and CAO David Trawin will serve as the society’s initial directors.
“In due course, community members who have expertise in development, housing and finance will be encouraged to serve as directors,” Freeman said.
In a news release, the City says the Kamloops Community Land Trust Foundation will be a community-owned and controlled organization to ensure that it remains accountable to the community.
“This land trust is a key tool we can use to help make homes more attainable for residents,” said Kwiatkowski. “We’re excited to create this opportunity and look forward to bringing it out to the community.”
