BNCLT Membership is Working Hard!

BNCLT is committed to community control of housing. But what does that really mean? Like all community land trusts, 2/3 of our board seats are reserved for residents and other neighbors. And last year, we deepened our model of community control by launching BNCLT Membership. This spring, our membership has been hard at work!

Membership Meet + Greet

A couple months ago, we developed a Membership Committee, which has been meeting monthly to strategize about how our members can build power and shape the course of our organization. We also kicked off the year with two Membership events, (1) a learning session on our Ground Lease, and (2) a Membership Meet and Greet.

In the Ground Lease Learning Session, we used popular education tools to illustrate what progress we have made on our ground lease – the legal document that will outline the relationship between BNCLT and our future homeowners. Using interactive activities, we discussed resale formulas, qualified capital improvements, and how to think about building equity in the context of a community land trust. It was an afternoon of Family Feud, Jeopardy, and a game exploring how the market shapes the value of property. We plan to have a BNCLT ground lease in place early next year.

This workshop followed a morning session with staff and board members to kick off our strategic planning process.

In the Membership Meet + Greet, we shared food and music, got to know each other, and shared the skills we have and the skills we want to develop.

And BNCLT Membership is continuing forward with a full calendar of membership events coming up. We hope to see you there!