About

Our History

As a direct result of S.C. General Assembly’s decision to relocate a proposed marine port terminal to the area, the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC), organized in 2005 as a grass-roots comprehensive planning effort led by seven environmental justice neighborhoods. As part of the environmental review process for the port terminal expansion, LAMC representing each study area neighborhood – were able to demonstrate that their communities bore a disproportionate share of the region’s air, water, and land-based pollution. The Corps of Engineers conducted an environmental justice assessment and determined that the study area met the criteria of an environmental justice population. A Community Mitigation Plan was created to address the issues along with a revitalization plan. The 2017 creation of the Community First Land Trust (CFLT) is one of the deliverables addressed in the plan. CFLT’s primary mission is overseeing land management and the development of affordable housing.

Our Mission

The mission of the Community First Land Trust (CFLT) is to develop and steward affordable housing solutions within seven environmental justice mitigation communities in North Charleston to prevent gentrification and promote community sustainability. We advocate for revitalization without displacement in these communities that have suffered from a history of racial segregation, environmental injustices, and loss of social and physical fabric.

CFLT Strategies:

Our major strategies to meet this mission include:

Acquisition & Development – use various capital and funding sources to acquire land and develop homes within the seven neighborhoods and increase the land trust inventory
Neighborhood Improvements – work with the City of North Charleston and Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities on developing green space to improve the quality of life in these neighborhoods.
Financial Literacy Education & Mortgage Assistance – assist prospective homeowners with financial literacy training and work with local lenders to secure homeowners’ mortgages.
Economic Opportunities – promote economic opportunities for low income residents of these neighborhoods through Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities programs that provide loans for small businesses to get started or increase operations.

Our Members

Membership in the CLT is open to anyone who leases land from the CLT and to anyone who resides within the geographic area that is served by the CLT. The governing board of the CLT is typically composed of three parts, each containing an equal number of seats. One third of the board is elected by those members who are leasing land from the CLT (“leaseholder representatives”). One third is elected by members residing within the CLT’s service area who are not living on the CLT’s land (“general representatives”). The final third is made up of local government officials, non- profit providers of housing or social services, and other individuals who are presumed to speak for the public interest (“public representatives“). Control of the CLT’s board is diffused and balanced to ensure that all interests are heard but no single interest is predominant.

Meet Our Team

We’re passionate about increasing affordable housing in North Charleston.