Council approves Esperanza Community Land Trust designation after public debate

The San Antonio City Council approved a designation for the Esperanza Community Land Trust on Sept. 3, allowing the nonprofit to proceed toward using a previously awarded housing bond to rehabilitate properties in the historic West Side.

Veronica Garcia, director of the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department, told the council that community land trusts "are non profit organizations, which were created for the purpose of owning and stewarding land in perpetuity, meaning that the affordability offered to people who live in the properties, it's permanent affordability." Garcia said staff reviewed organizational capacity, affordability proposals and code compliance and recommended designation so Esperanza could access bond funds awarded in April 2026.

Rene Gonzalez, general manager of Esperanza CLT, described the group's work and inventory: "The Esperanza Community Land Trust was the city's 1st and was founded as a tool to preserve and build affordable housing in the historic West Side Of San Antonio," and he said the CLT focuses on households at about 30% of area median income and has acquired properties and plans to rehab them.

Supporters, including Leticia Sanchez of the Historic Westside Residents Association and Jasmine Herrera, who credited the CLT with helping her keep her family home, urged approval. Herrera said, "The Esperanza Community Land Trust, they they helped me pay off my mortgage. They helped me keep my family's home and help me have somewhere to stay." An opponent, Jack Amfinger, called the move a giveaway and criticized the organization's public positions; the council chair urged speakers to keep comments focused on the CLT application.

Council debate centered on timing and legal context. Councilmember Villagran moved to postpone the item to an October B session to examine pending state CLT legislation and potential fiscal impacts. Council members who opposed delay said the council had already awarded bond funds in April and that Esperanza cannot use those funds until it receives the designation. After a call to question and further discussion, the motion to postpone failed and the council voted to approve the designation. The clerk read the item caption as an ordinance pursuant to Texas Local Government Code §373.002; staff at times described the action as a resolution. City staff said Esperanza is not requesting property tax exemptions at this time and that bond dollars will be used to rehab properties the CLT already owns.

Next steps for the CLT include completing administrative requirements tied to the designation, proceeding with planned rehabs (staff said the bond-funded plan anticipates rehabbing roughly three properties per year), and returning to council if the CLT later seeks tax exemptions or other approvals.