Organizing to secure a Community Land Trust (CLT) in Loisaida

Sixth Street Community Center (SSCC) is co-developing a Community Land Trust (CLT) with Cooper Square Committee and This Land is Ours CLT. We are proposing to develop 130+ units of low-income housing and expanded community space on a pair of publicly owned under-utilized parking lots on E 5 & E 6th Streets. We are interested in developing these proposals with local residents and community members, having them be an integral part of the planning process. Click here for more info. on the E 6th St. site and here for the E 5th St. site. 

Our vision is to expand our community's stock of low income apartments, while ensuring the affordability of the units for generations to come.  Expanded community space for youth and teens, a food co-op to expand food access, clean energy or solar co-op and workers center are also part of the vision which distinguishes our CLT from other previous models.  The development itself will be an energy efficient passive building, serving as a local model for urban sustainability.  

We had a successful community meeting on Sept. 15, 2021 with over 20 participants and another large community forum on Sept. 22, 2022 with 75 participants. Building robust community support for this Community Land Trust which concerns the future of our public land is critically important. 

Check out some recent coverage by the Indypendent. Join our mailing list to stay up to date with upcoming events and planning sessions -- come share your ideas! We have started collecting petitions in support of this plan to present to the Mayor's Administration. Volunteers are welcome to assist with this effort.

SSCC has historically been part of the CLT movement dating back to the 1980s. Pictured above and below are photos of our Executive Director, Howard Brandstein, organizing and marching with other Lower East Side residents for CLTs and affordable housing. Photo above by Brian Patrick O'Donoghue and photos below by Marlis Momber 1986. 
For those interested in digging deeper into the history of CLTs in the Lower East Side, attached are two pieces written in the 1980s on developing a CLT in the LES (the first CLT ever in NYC) followed by the Cooper Square CLT.
Photos below of our recent Sept. 2022 meeting. Sixth Street Community Center with Cooper Square Committee and This Land is Ours at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden discussing visions for the CLT with community members. 
Upcoming Events:

Walk for Affordable Housing, Saturday, Nov. 12 @ 12p. Meet at 326 E 5th Street! 
Previous Event Flyers: