Presenter announces first homes entering Central Iowa Community Land Trust in Des Moines' Columbus Park

A presenter at the Columbus Park site in Des Moines said the first two houses have been brought into the Central Iowa Community Land Trust, a move intended to preserve long-term affordability as neighborhood values rise.

The presenter said the project is a partnership with InvestDSM and Home Inc. and described the community land trust model: "The land trust always owns the land that the home is built on," the presenter said, adding that homeowners "get to have equity in their house, but then when they sell it, they sell it to another buyer that's in a similar position to them." The approach is meant to allow families to build equity while keeping resale prices aligned with income-qualified buyers.

The presenter said the CLT intends to keep homes permanently affordable and noted the city of Des Moines played a key role in getting the Central Iowa Community Land Trust established through consulting, community meetings and staff and council advocacy. "Without that advocacy by the city of Des Moines, the staff, and the council, the CLT would never have been established," the presenter said.

Officials leading the project have already identified a buyer for one of the first three homes entering the CLT, the presenter said, and the other two are available; applications are open on the CLT website. The presenter described an ongoing construction partnership with Home Inc., saying, "We regularly build homes with Home Inc. Our goal is to build five houses a year with them." The presenter added a program goal of 100 homes by year five.

Advocates framed the initiative as targeting high-quality affordable housing in areas with access to education and downtown resources, aiming to support long-term homeownership as the neighborhood grows. The presenter said the CLT model could be expanded to other communities in the organization's service area.

The presenter did not specify a timetable for when all three homes would be occupied or give further details on buyer eligibility beyond application instructions on the CLT website. The presentation ended with the invitation to apply for the remaining units and the stated five-year target of 100 homes.