Chinatown Community Land Trust Inc

CHINATOWN CLT'S MOST SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES ARE PRESERVATION OF SMALL PROPERTIES AS PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE HOMES, INVOLVING COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN PARTICIPATORY PLANNING FOR A CHINATOWN HISTORIC AND CULTURAL DISTRICT, ORGANIZING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY JUSTICE THROUGH OPEN SPACE IMPROVEMENT AND A LOCAL ENERGY MICROGRID, AND GOVERNANCE OF SHARED SPACES AND RESOURCES.

ROW HOUSE PRESERVATION CHINATOWN CLT HAS A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON PRESERVING PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE HOMES BY REMOVING SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S SMALL PROPERTIES FROM THE SPECULATIVE MARKET. THESE BRICK ROW HOUSES HAVE HISTORICALLY HOUSED SOME OF CHINATOWN'S MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS, YET MANY PROPERTIES WERE FLIPPED AND CONVERTED TO SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROPERTIES OVER THE PAST DECADE. CHINATOWN CLT SEEKS TO PRESERVE PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE HOMES AND SMALL BUSINESS SPACES, AND TO MAINTAIN CORE ROW HOUSE STREETS AS ANCHORS OF THE WORKING CLASS COMMUNITY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. ROW HOUSE INVESTMENTS CONTINUES TO HOLD 99-YEAR GROUND LEASES FOR PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY. IT HAS COMPLETED SALES OF SEVEN AFFORDABLE HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS TO FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS IN FY 2023, WITH ADDITIONAL UNITS IN THE PIPELINE.

CHINATOWN MICROGRID CHINATOWN CLT PARTNERS WITH THE GREEN JUSTICE COALITION AND RESILIENT URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS ON A PLAN TO DEVELOP A COMMUNITY-CONTROLLED AND LOCALLY GOVERNED ENERGY MICROGRID TO SUPPORT RESILIENCE, CLEAN ENERGY, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR CHINATOWN. THE MICROGRID WILL LINK BUILDINGS VIRTUALLY AND USE BATTERY STORAGE, SOLAR PANELS, BIO-FUELED GENERATORS, SMART INVERTERS, AND OTHER ASSETS TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS AND ENERGY COSTS, WHILE INCREASING RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY POWER. CHINATOWN CLT AND THE CHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION ESTABLISHED CHINATOWN POWER, INC. TO LEAD THE COMMUNITY MICROGRID AND ARE WORKING WITH PROJECT PARTNERS ON PROJECT DESIGN AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS. PLANNING FOR A HEALTHY COMMUNITY CHINATOWN CLT LED A PARTICIPATORY PLANNING PROCESS TO PRODUCE CHINATOWN MASTER PLAN 2020 AS A GUIDE FOR STABILIZING CHINATOWN'S FUTURE. CHINATOWN CLT CO-FACILITATES THE ONGOING CHINATOWN MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE IN ORDER TO MONITOR AND GUIDE IMPLEMENTATION STEPS TO ACHIEVE THE COMMUNITY'S VISION AND CONTINUES TO WORK ON COMMUNITY PLANNING AND VISIONING IN PARTICULAR AREAS. ONGOING FOCUSES INCLUDE STEWARDSHIP OF PUBLIC LAND, PROMOTION OF A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMIC STABILITY, AND SHARED COMMUNITY SPACES. CHINATOWN CLT IS CURRENTLY PARTNERING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ON A CHINATOWN CULTURAL PLAN, AND WORKING WITH THE CITY OF BOSTON'S PLAN: DOWNTOWN ON ZONING GUIDELINES THAT SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY'S VISION.

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION CHINATOWN CLT WORKS TO DEVELOP CHINATOWN AS A HISTORIC AND CULTURAL DISTRICT THAT PRESERVES AND SAFEGUARDS THE LIVING PULSE OF BOSTON'S IMMIGRANT HISTORY; IT CENTERS ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT CHINATOWN CAN ONLY BE PRESERVED IF ITS WORKING CLASS CHINESE RESIDENTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES REMAIN. WORK INCLUDES AN IMMIGRANT HISTORY TRAIL TO ACTIVATE NEARLY TWO CENTURIES OF HISTORIC ARCHIVES, THE CHINATOWN WORKER STATUES PROJECT, PLACE-KEEPING THROUGH PUBLIC ART AND SOCIAL TOURISM, AND EXPLORATION OF BOTH HISTORIC CONSERVATION DISTRICT AND CULTURAL DISTRICT STATUS.

COMMUNITY BUILDING AND COLLECTIVE GOVERNANCE CLT WORKS WITH RESIDENTS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO STRENGTHEN THE COMMUNITY FABRIC AND ITS SENSE OF COMMUNITY. AN IMPORTANT GOAL IS TO RECLAIM THE PRACTICE OF THE COMMUNITY COMMONS, COLLECTIVELY GOVERNING AND PROTECTING PUBLIC LAND, SHARED SPACES, AND RESOURCES THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNITY LIFE, NOT THEIR MONETARY VALUE. RECENT ACTIVITIES INCLUDE ORGANIZING RESIDENTS AROUND A VARIETY OF STREET IMPROVEMENTS, FOR COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE OF REGGIE WONG PARK, AND DEVELOPING A SHARED COMMUNITY LAND TRUST LOAN FUND WITH BOSTON AREA PARTNERS. CHINATOWN CLT IS PART OF A GROWING MOVEMENT FOR COLLECTIVE CONTROL AND STEWARDSHIP OF LAND TO STABILIZE OUR COMMUNITIES AND PLAYS AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE GREATER BOSTON CLT NETWORK, THE HOMES FOR ALL CAMPAIGN, AND OTHER MOVEMENT BUILDING NETWORKS. FOCUSES INCLUDE PEER LEARNING, SHARED RESOURCES, AND PROMOTION OF POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT LIMIT LAND SPECULATION, INCREASE COMMUNITY CONTROL, AND STABILIZE NEIGHBORHOODS