How It Works
Pathway to Equity creates lasting affordability through three implementation tracks that turn housing from a temporary expense into a foundation for security and shared ownership.
Each track serves a different type of property—new construction, existing buildings, or individual ownership—but all share a common goal: permanent affordability through community land stewardship.
In every case, the Community Land Trust (CLT) retains ownership of the land to keep it affordable forever, while residents or cooperatives own the homes or improvements built on it.
This structure ensures that wealth created by housing stays in the community, generation after generation.
Track 1:
New Construction – CLT + Co-op
When new rental or mixed-income communities are built, residents shouldn’t remain perpetual tenants while value flows outward.
Pathway to Equity structures these developments so that residents earn vesting credits through consistent tenancy, community participation, and property stewardship.
Over time, those credits can be applied toward co-op shares or down-payment equity, allowing renters to transition into collective ownership.
Each project is developed on CLT-held land, ensuring that every new unit remains permanently affordable and that future residents benefit from the same opportunity to build equity.
Timeline: Vesting credits accumulate gradually; ownership opportunities typically open once the property stabilizes financially—often within 8 to 10 years.
Track 2:
Conversion / Adaptive Re-use – CLT + Co-op
When existing buildings face loss of affordability—such as expiring covenants or pending sale—Pathway to Equity partners with a mission-aligned developer or preservation fund to acquire and hold the property during the transition.
While the developer carries the asset, residents organize, form a cooperative, and prepare for long-term control.
At the close of this interim period, ownership transfers to the resident co-op and the CLT, keeping the building affordable for generations while ensuring residents remain rooted in their community.
This model is especially effective for RSO / rent-controlled properties, naturally affordable buildings, or underutilized commercial or civic structures that can be repurposed into housing.
Timeline: Typically about two years from initial acquisition to permanent community stewardship.
Track 3:
Direct Ownership – CLT + Condo / Townhome / Home / Farm
For households and cooperatives ready for direct ownership, Pathway to Equity helps create affordable homes, townhouses, or farmsteads in partnership with a Community Land Trust (CLT).
Residents—or member co-ops—own the improvements while the CLT retains ownership of the land to guarantee permanent affordability.
This model supports both urban and rural contexts—from small-lot subdivisions and townhome clusters to homesteads, agricultural parcels, and fire-rebuild areas—ensuring that recovery and growth benefit local residents rather than speculative buyers.
Ownership can be structured individually or collectively:
- Individual ownership — Households purchase resale-restricted homes or condos on CLT land.
- Cooperative ownership — A housing or farmer co-op purchases and manages the homes or structures, with members owning shares.
Each property carries long-term ground leases and resale protections that preserve affordability for future generations.
Day-to-day operations are handled by the condo, homeowner, or cooperative association, while the CLT provides the permanent layer of affordability, accountability, and land stewardship.
Timeline: Ownership begins immediately at purchase; affordability and stewardship are permanent.