Mutual Ground Community Land Trust
Every year, we watch prices go up. Groceries, vehicles, insurance … rent, house prices. So we grow our little ‘Victory Gardens’, support our local farmers, go without health insurance, and we bite the bullet to buy a house, to rent a smaller place, we get a roommate. But there is another way to stop the inevitable-feeling rise in housing costs — that way is a Community Land Trust.
The founders at Mutual Ground Community Land Trust believe that housing is a human right, not an investment. It’s easy to see that housing as an investment means that every sale of a house requires an increase in price. In recent years, we’ve seen significant housing cost increases. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the typical U.S. home price rose from about $248,000 in January 2020 to around $350,000 by August 2023 — a 41% increase in just three years. The trend continues. And this means fewer middle and lower class people are able to buy homes. It also means rental prices are going up right alongside.
Rising housing prices have far-reaching consequences that ripple through individuals, communities, and entire economies. As costs climb faster than wages, affordability collapses—especially for first-time buyers and renters, who find themselves devoting up to half of their income to housing or being priced out entirely. Homeownership becomes a privilege, deepening the divide between those who own property and those who do not. This fuels displacement and gentrification, uprooting long-time residents and erasing the cultural and social fabric of neighborhoods, particularly in historically marginalized communities.
Financial insecurity grows as families take on unsustainable debt, while rising rents and home costs push more people into homelessness. The workforce also suffers: teachers, nurses, and service workers can no longer afford to live near their jobs, leading to labor shortages and community instability. As wealth concentrates among homeowners and investors, inequality widens and local economies stagnate because residents have less disposable income for goods and services. Speculation and corporate ownership turn homes into financial assets rather than places of belonging, increasing the risk of housing bubbles and economic crises.
One immediate and sustainable answer is the formation of a Community Land Trust (CLT). There are many examples of these both in Kansas City and nationwide!
Mutual Ground CLT has a specific focus and vision: we take existing homes and adopt them into the land trust. We accept single and multiple family homes, empty lots, green spaces, and commercial spaces into the CLT. The short form of how this works is not too complex: Mutual Ground CLT and the property owner sign contracts which separate the land ownership from the house ownership. The home owner then leases the land from the CLT. The new deed to the house contains several key commitments to the principles of the land trust:
agreement to sell the house (or property) at no profit — when and if a sale occurs.
agreement to sell the house to individuals who intend to live in the community, not to outside developers, air bnb-ers, or slum lord rental agencies.
all buyers of CLT houses will remain in the land trust. Once a house is part of the CLT, it stays in the land trust for the length of the land lease.
agreement to lease the land from the land trust at the value of the land’s property tax bill each year.
In this manner, we as a community can do what capitalism will not — create sustainable housing costs for our community. We are looking generations into the future, and each person who joins the CLT will sign a 99 year lease on the land. There are many more details to the process. Key points include that the home owner still has complete autonomy over land use within the purview of the land lease. There is no need to seek CLT permission to alter the land leased. Also, banks often grant CLT properties special, lower interest rates. Full, transparent information will be provided in detail to all folks seeking to join.
Mutual Ground Community Land Trust is still in its infancy. Founders Flora Mahaffy, Jonah Petit Jean, Jess Reigle, Sean Eagan, Jenn Scanlon, Joe Hammers and Nettie Zan have been working since early 2025 to develop the bylaws, establish the legal entity, and write the ground leases. We have four home owners ready to sign onto the CLT once it’s up and running, and more waiting in the wings to join. Maybe you are interested in joining! We are hoping to launch in Spring of 2026.
Our next steps include:
Community meeting to discuss the new land trust and answer questions, provide detailed information.
Finalizing the Board of Directors, we are currently searching for a Treasurer and Vice President.
Launching a go-fund me to cover start up costs: lawyer, banking fees, website, accountant, 501c3 fees.
Finishing touches on the legality of the CLT.
Launch Party!
If you have questions about the land trust, feel free to reach out to mutualgroundCLT@gmail.com