A backyard solution for Affordable Housing:

ADU Pilot Project of Durham Community Land Trustees

Durham Community Land Trustees (DCLT) aims to expand access to homeownership with a new pilot program named CLTplusOne. The program pairs a permanently affordable land trust home with an affordable rental on the same lot. DCLT plans to utilize accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to increase affordable housing units in Durham. NeighborWorks America awarded DCLT an innovation grant in September 2020 to develop program guidelines.

CLTPlusOne innovates the community land trust model to address affordable housing needs. ADUs maximize scarce land resources by gently adding density to existing neighborhoods. Over the pilot program year, Durham Community Land Trustees will build support for the CLTPlusOne Project.

DCLT launched the pilot program to address the high demand for affordable homes and rental units. The goals of CLTplusOne are to increase access to homeownership, expand the purchasing power of low and moderate-income families, and provide a mechanism for wealth building. Both the home and rental unit will be permanently affordable.

The organization hosted the Buildable Backyards Real Estate Summit on June 22-23, 2021, to understand the best practices in lending, underwriting, appraising, and marketing ADUs. The summit focused on providing information for non-profit affordable housing providers and others involved in real estate transactions.