San Antonio City Council on Thursday approved two ordinances designating nonprofit organizations as official community land trusts, a move city leaders say will help preserve long-term affordability and expand homeownership options in parts of the West and Northwest sides of the city.
The votes designate the Silk Road Community Land Trust and the Mexican American Unity Council (MAUC) Development Fund as city-recognized community land trusts — a step required under Texas law for homes in those trusts to be appraised using a restricted value tied to resale limits rather than full market value.
City housing officials and council members described the designations as a tool for keeping homes affordable over time.
What is a community land trust?
A community land trust, or CLT, is a nonprofit model designed to create long-term affordable homeownership. In a CLT, the trust retains ownership of the land and leases it to the homeowner under a ground lease, while the homeowner buys and owns the house itself.
That structure lowers the purchase price because buyers are not paying for the land up front. It also allows the trust to place conditions on resale so the home remains affordable to the next income-qualified buyer. Homeowners can still build equity, but the resale price is limited by a formula set in the ground lease rather than the open market.
The model also affects property taxes. Because resale prices are restricted, homes in a CLT can be appraised based on that restricted value — not the full market value a comparable home might fetch in a hot neighborhood. City staff have said that appraisal approach is key to preventing taxes from rising beyond what an income-qualified homeowner can sustain.
Supporting community land trusts is one of the strategies outlined in the city’s Strategic Housing Implementation Plan, which council approved in 2021 to guide the construction and preservation of affordable housing as costs continue to rise across San Antonio.
In October 2024, City Council adopted the Community Land Trust Designation Policy, which outlines the requirements nonprofits must meet to receive a CLT designation. Under the policy, initial designations require City Council approval and are renewed annually through an administrative process.
State law also allows cities to grant a partial tax exemption to CLT organizations for property they own. In San Antonio, CLTs may request a 50% city property tax exemption, which applies only to property owned by the trust — such as office space or homes being held prior to resale — and does not apply once a home is sold to a homeowner.
Of the two land trusts approved on Thursday, neither organization yet own property eligible for a tax exemption, according to city documents.
Silk Road Community Land Trust
The Silk Road Community Land Trust is sponsored by Culturingua, a San Antonio-based community and economic development nonprofit that works in and around the Silk Road Cultural Heritage District.
According to city documents, the land trust will serve a roughly 15-square-mile area of Northwest San Antonio, bounded by Loop 1604 to the north, the San Antonio Railroad line to the east, and Culebra Road to the south and west. The service area excludes the Deco District, Woodlawn Lake and Monticello Park Historic District, as well as neighboring municipalities such as Leon Valley and Balcones Heights.
The trust plans to acquire 24 single-family homes by 2028. Six homes will be targeted to households earning up to 60% of the area medium income, while the remainder will be reserved for households ranging from 61-120% of the AMI.
In San Antonio, 60% of the AMI for a one-person household is $40,620 per year, while 120% of the AMI is $81,150 per year, according to city calculations.
Nadia Mavrakis, co-executive director of Culturingua, told council that the land trust was developed alongside residents and community groups in and around the Silk Road Cultural Heritage District and is intended to address barriers to homeownership and long-term wealth building.
“The Silk Road Community Land Trust will provide permanently affordable homeownership opportunities to low- and moderate-income individuals in Northwest San Antonio,” she said. “By working with and shifting power to those most deeply impacted by inequities in this city, we can truly make San Antonio a place for all.”
Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8) praised the land trust as a tool to stabilize neighborhoods and build wealth for homeowners who may otherwise be unable to buy a home, while furthering the city’s broader housing strategy.
“A formally recognized CLT strengthens partnerships between the city, residents and nonprofit organizations to advance equitable development,” Meza Gonzalez said.
MAUC Development Fund Community Land Trust
City Council also approved the designation of the Mexican American Unity Council (MAUC) Development Fund as a community land trust as part of the consent agenda.
The MAUC land trust will primarily serve San Antonio’s West Side, with a service area that includes portions of council districts 4, 5 and 6, generally spanning from Interstate 35 to Bandera Road and from Highway 90 north toward Loop 410.
The trust plans to acquire 55 single-family homes over its first five years, making it the larger of the two land trust initiatives approved Thursday. All homes will be affordable to households earning at or below 120% of the area median income, with up to 75% targeted to households earning between 60% and 80% of AMI and at least 25% reserved for households earning 60% of AMI or less, according to city documents.
The land trust’s immediate plans for the next two years include the purchase of 10 homes with seven reserved for households who earn up to 80% AMI and three for households earning up to 60% AMI.
Councilwoman Teri Castillo (D5), whose district includes part of the land trust’s footprint, highlighted the designation during council remarks, describing it as a step toward prioritizing deeper affordability in city housing efforts.
“I’m very excited. My team’s excited because this helps complement the work of the Council Consideration Requests that we filed on tiered affordability,” she said. “When it comes to housing community land trusts we need to be ensuring that we’re prioritizing the deepest affordability as we move these projects forward.”
The approvals allow both nonprofits to move forward under the community land trust framework, with any future funding or land transfers requiring separate City Council action.
