Cuyahoga Community Land Trust News and Housing Tips

Cool Website!

2009-10-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know of a great website for incorporating environmentally friendly activities into your everyday routine. Visit The Green Guide at www.thegreenguide.com for tons and tons of green tips and games for food, travel, personal care and more!

Diana
Outreach Coordinator
Cuyahoga Community Land Trust
www.ccLandTrust.org

Upcoming Events!!

2009-09-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events in the Detroit Shoreway/Gordon Square Arts District area:

September 26th, 11:00am: Detroit Streetscape Ribbon Cutting

October 2nd, 9:30am: Capitol Theatre Ribbon Cutting

October 2nd, 7:00pm: Capitol Theatre Feature Film party ($35 ticket)

October 9th and October 10th, Friday evening and Saturday afternoon: 78th St. Studios Open House

October 17th, 10am-12pm: Bulb Planting and Model Blocks Celebration

These are great opportunities to see how Detroit Shoreway is shaping into one of Cleveland's neighborhoods of choice! Visit the links below for lots more info on these and other activities.

www.gordonsquare.org

www.dscdo.org

Take care,
Diana
www.ccLandTrust.org

Another cost saving "green" tip!

2009-08-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

Check out this quick article on how to save money on your water heating costs!

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/10/1/Saving-on-water-heating-costs.html

Diana

P.S. The Green Cottages use one of the tips; low flow toilets and faucets! www.ccLandTrust.org/GreenCottages

Want a real look at the Cleveland housing crisis?

2009-08-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Please follow the link below to hear 19 Action News reporter Harry Boomer take a look at Cleveland's housing crisis with special guests James Rokakis, Cuyahoga County Treasurer and James Jones, Director of Empowering and Strengthening Ohios People (ESOP). They offer an overview of what's been going on with housing in Cleveland and give out helpful information.

http://www.woio.com/Global/story.asp?S=10751383

Speaking of Treasurer Rokakis, he will also be a special guest at the Land Trust's annual fall fundrasier, this year titled "An Uncommon Evening at Trinity Commons". The fundraiser will be held Saturday October 17th from 5:30p-9:30p at Trinity Cathedral Commons. The evening will include a dinner and dessert buffet, live music by the jazz trio Up Ensemble and a 50/50 raffle and silent auction. So save the date, and check back soon for more information!

Diana
http://www.cclandtrust.org/

When will people get the message???

2009-07-06T13:51:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

So do you have some spare reading time on your hands? If so please follow this link to read the new NSP2, Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2, proposal; http://cd.city.cleveland.oh.us/forms/NSP2_Draft_Application.PDF

The proposal is a consortium project that brings the city, county, CMHA, the county land bank, and suburbs together on developing housing. This is an unprecedented opportunity to have a strong impact on the pattern of housing in both the county and the city. (Specific census tracts are targeted.) The proposal calls for up to $80,000 of subsidy per housing unit. A minimum of 25% of funds ($18,645,000) will be used to develop foreclosed properties into units owned or managed by CMHA.

However, the proposal gives very, very vague lines on preserving or providing permanent housing affordability. This is where you can make a difference.

Comments from the public are solicited and will be summarized in the final application, if your comments are received before July 12th. So please take 10 minutes or so to read the proposal and submit your comments to
http://www.cuyahogalandbank.org/ and click contact us.

This is your chance to really have your voice heard on housing issues in Cleveland!!

Take care,
Diana

Housing Tax Credit

2009-06-19T12:25:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!

So sorry I haven't posted in a while; it's been pretty hectic around here! But I guess that's good, more people are learning about the Land Trust movement and wanting to know how they can join in!

Did you see our feature article in the Plain Dealer Real Estate section? It's a great article covering the Green Cottages; http://www.cleveland.com/pdrealestate/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/zre01/1243548905230220.xml&coll=2

So here's some housing news you still have time to take advantage of. How many of you are familiar with the new housing tax credit? The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorizes a tax credit of up to $8,000 for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.

It's already almost July so if you're thinking about buying your first home, now is the perfect time! Making sure your credit and finances are A-OK (and perhaps building) can take a few months, so don't hesitate to get your homebuying process started and miss the opportunity to take advantage of this new bill. The link below will tell you all you need to know about qualifying. And of course, this credit does apply to the Green Cottages!!!!
http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/faq.php

Talk to you later,
Diana
www.ccLandTrust.org

My garden can kep me cool during the summer??

2009-05-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yup, it sure can. Here's a quick "green" tip to keep cool during the summer.

Plant trees around your house to provide a shade buffer between the sun and your walls. Use deciduous trees on the northern or southern side (depending on the hemisphere you live in) so you can still take advantage of passive solar warming in winter.

Our first Green Cottage homeowner will have her very own rain garden in her yard. Not only will the trees she will plant help keep her house cool, but by using a rain barrel to divert storm water into the garden from her roof, she is also helping improve the water quality of our local streams. The water that is stored in the rain barrel is then used for watering the garden or lawn.

For more info on rain gardens and barrels, check out http://www.raingardennetwork.com/

Diana
www.ccLandTrust.org

Who's LEEDing the way?

2009-05-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

In the United States and in a number of other countries around the world, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. Achieving LEED certification is the best way for you to demonstrate that your building project is truly "green."

The Green Cottages will be the first affordable single family homes in Northeast Ohio certified by the LEED for Homes program of the US Green Building Council, which promotes the design and construction of high performance green homes. The LEED rating system measures, among other things, the ability to reduce the negative environmental impacts of the building, as well as improve occupant health and well-being.

Our preliminary LEED for Homes rating indicated the first house will qualify at the LEED Gold standard with a possibility of the highest overall rating, Platinum. The house will also exceed Energy Star standards, the City of Cleveland's 2009 green housing construction standards, and the Enterprise Green Communities standards. Most importantly, all the Green Cottages will be long-term assets for the community and provide an energy-efficient, accessible, durable, healthy home for many decades to come.

Pretty cool, huh? For information on how someone could qualify to purchase a Green Cottage, please contact the Land Trust, 216-334-1620.

Diana
www.ccLandTrust.org

See what's so special!!

2009-05-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

Let’s get right to it. In my last post I mentioned the three key features of the Green Cottages; energy efficiency, affordability and accessibility.

Energy efficient: The Green Cottages utilize some of the latest green building techniques that will sharply reduce utility bills for the homeowner and also minimize the homes impact on the environment. Most of the energy efficiency is behind the walls in the Green Cottage; we paid lots of attention to insulating behind the walls, below the roof and under the basement floor. This well insulated building envelope will give the 2-bdrm home an estimated $36 per month heating bill! We’ve also used low-flow toilets, sinks and showers, low-compact lighting fixtures, and energy star windows and kitchen appliances that are sure to keep utility bills drastically lower than the norm. Also, the Green Cottages will provide a healthier indoor air quality because we used low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) for all the painting, sealants and finishes.

Affordability: Until now, a newly built green home with features like the Green Cottage was only available in high priced or custom homes. Thanks to the Land Trust mechanism of homeownership and generous funding, these homes are now affordable to our clients at $126,000 for a 2-bdrm and $136,000 for a 3-bdrm. Moreover, our funding agreement states that no more than 35% of the homebuyers income can go towards the total monthly housing payment – so that leaves at least 65% of the homebuyers income to take care of other needs.

Accessibility: This term refers to the accessible design of the house. The Green Cottages will be first floor visitable so that persons who utilize a wheelchair or walker will be able to maneuver throughout with ease. Each Green Cottage will have a zero step entry, wider doors and hallways, windows and cabinets at chair height, and wider turning radiuses in each room. This design can also be referred to as a universal design, meaning these are design elements that are suitable for all and, generally, just making getting around the home easier.

So what do these elements look like together? See how we built this house from the ground up by looking through our construction and ribbon cutting photos via our FLICKR account.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38110226@N02/

Talk to you later,
Diana
http://www.cclandtrust.org/

All about the Green Cottages

2009-05-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

So it may take more than one post to get you updated with all that has been happening with the Green Cottages! A project a few years in the making, we recently took a huge step by having a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of our first Green Cottage home. Just what are the Green Cottages and how did they come about?? Well...

The Green Cottages started off as a unique collaborative of Cleveland non-profit organizations: the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, Cleveland Green Building Coalition and EcoCity Cleveland. The capacities of the different organizations allow the Green Cottages project to pursue sustainability in community development in multiple ways.

In addition to dealing with the frightening housing market, the Green Cottages project weathered numerous infrastructure changes. The Cleveland Green Building Coaltion experienced some staff changes and decided to wrap up its role i the project. Detroit Shoreway reorganized its housing department and, as a result, asked the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust to take on a more expansive role as the sole project developer. DSCDO continues its involvement with the project through the active participation of the EcoVillage coordinator. With support of funders, CCLT brought on The Project Alliance as a partner and hired Environmental Health Watch to assist with the green aspects of the project and to prepare the homeowners manuals.

The Green Cottages project emerged from the work of the Emerging Green Designers Symposium, a program of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, which allows designers and architects to explore green-building techniques. The 2005-2006 Symposium challenged itself to develop an affordable green home, and the Emerging Green Designers produced the basic designs for the Green Cottages collaboratively. Jim Ptacek, who was a member of the original Emerging Designers team, and who had continued to volunteer his time with the project, moved into an official capacity as his firm, Larsen Architects, and came on board to oversee contract administration and design elements. Civic Builders patiently continued to serve on the design team and remained committed to the project.

The Green Cottages also respond to the EcoVillage neighborhood plan, in which residents of the neighborhood emphasized the need for new environmentally sustainable single-family construction that will remain affordable to typical neighborhood families in the long-term. The Cleveland EcoVillage is a demonstration of eco-friendly living, emphasizing green-building, transit-oriented design, walkable streets, greenspace amenities, and community involvement. The Green Cottages will build on the success of recent EcoVillage developments, including the West 58th Street EcoVillage Townhomes, the West 65th Street Rapid Station renovation and the West 54th Street Greenbuilt Homes.

Whew! I think that covers the roots of the Green Cottages project. My next post will give you a photographed view of the Green Cottages construction phase, as well as details on what truly makes this housing development one-of-a-kind. But here's a hint:
The Green Cottages incorporate three key features - energy efficiency, affordability and accessibility- in addition to a LEED status that puts us ahead of the curve in affordable housing development in Northeast Ohio.

Talk with you soon,
Diana
http://www.cclandtrust.org/

*Creating opportunities for homeownership now, securing affordability for the future.*

Blogging the Land Trust

2009-05-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to the Land Trust's new blogging home! Here you will be able to find out the latest news around the Land Trust, as well as pick up some cool and useful housing tips and news.

For those who aren't too familiar with the Land Trust, here's a run down of what we're about:

The Land Trust is a non-profit membership organization that increases homeownership opportunities for low and moderate income families in Cleveland.
By using both private and public funds, the Land Trust lowers the price of new and substantially rehabbed homes for our clients.
With every Land Trust home, we work closely with the buyer providing extensive one-on-one pre-purchase support and making sure he/she receives a prime mortgage rate.
Through a land lease agreement, which does provide the homeowner with secure and private access to the property, our homes remain affordable for not only the first buyer, but subsequent buyers as well.
For more information on the Land Trusts' method of homeownership, please visit our website at www.ccLandTrust.org

As I get this blog up and running I'll get you up-to-date on all that's happened with The Green Cottages, our affordable, single family, green housing development in the Cleveland EcoVillage, shed some light on the Land Trusts' future plans, offer some green building tips and provide you with useful housing news.

So check in with me every week to hear what's going on and please encourage your friends, family and co-workers to follow as well!

Talk with you soon,
Diana Dawson
Outreach Coordinator
Cuyahoga Community Land Trust
http://www.cclandtrust.org/

*Creating opportunities for homeownership now, securing affordability for the future.*