Montavilla Community Land Trust · montavillalandtrust.org
A Community Land Trust is a nonprofit that takes land off the speculative market for good. The community owns the ground. Buildings on it can be bought, sold, or leased — but the land itself can't be flipped.
Most CLTs focus on affordable housing. Some protect farmland. A growing number anchor commercial corridors like markets and small business districts.
Montavilla CLT would give this neighborhood democratic control over 0.84 acres at the heart of the community. What happens on that land is up to the people who live here. That's the gold dot.
Each dot is a real U.S. CLT, plotted by what it protects. Nearly all cluster at the top — housing. The gold dot is MCLT: drag it to explore where we might land. Full CLT meta analysis →
The Situation
Since 2007, the Montavilla Farmers Market has anchored community life on SE Stark Street — growing from 17 vendors to more than 70, and becoming one of Portland's most beloved neighborhood markets. In late 2024, the owners of the 0.84-acre parcel at 7700 SE Stark Street notified the market that they intended to sell.
The property is now listed at $4,999,000. The market continues to operate, and nobody has been asked to move. But the zoning allows up to four stories of development, and the listing is active. The question is whether the neighborhood wants a voice in what happens next.
There's no timeline guarantee. But the lot has been listed for months and no sale is pending. That gives us time to organize — and 308 Community Land Trusts in 48 states show the model works.
As of April 2026, the coalition has gathered 40+ petition signatures, 20 founding members, and begun outreach to Proud Ground, the Northwest CLT Coalition, and neighborhood institutions.
Possibilities
A Community Land Trust takes land off the speculative market. The community owns the ground. What gets built on it is up to the people who live here. Here are some of the possibilities the coalition is exploring.
The land could be held in perpetuity for community benefit, never flipped or redeveloped away from a community-determined mission. This is the legal and moral core of the project.
Shade structures and landscape design could make the outdoor market functional in Portland's rain — turning a seasonal venue into a year-round community fixture.
A sustainably built structure could house a commissary kitchen, commercial cold storage, and deep freezers — infrastructure that local food makers and vendors could grow into.
Green space for Montavilla — open, welcoming, and part of the neighborhood long-term.
The site is zoned for up to four stories. A community-controlled mixed-use building — with permanently affordable housing, ground-floor space for local enterprise, or both — is one of the directions the neighborhood could choose.
These are starting points, not final plans. The coalition will host listening sessions to hear what the neighborhood wants.
The prospectus describes one possible scenario. The coalition is exploring multiple options.
How We Get There
Community land trust acquisitions have succeeded in cities across the country. Here's our roadmap — and the checkpoints we've already cleared.
Neighbors, vendors, and local businesses coming together to decide what they want for this land. The petition is live, a steering committee is forming, and the Montavilla Farmers Market has a committed seat on the future MCLT board.
Done (May 2026): Proud Ground — Portland's established community land trust, with 20+ years of shared-equity homeownership work — is our confirmed fiscal sponsor, so MCLT can receive grant funds today. Next: Oregon nonprofit incorporation and classic tripartite CLT bylaws. We're also members of the Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition.
Founding pledges are open now, with a neighborhood-wide fundraising launch planned for the 2026 holiday season. Community dollars build our capital base — and every dollar demonstrates credibility to lenders and grant makers.
Submitted (May 2026): a $200,000 planning grant application to the Portland Clean Energy Fund — decision expected this fall. Behind it: a rolling pipeline of foundation grants and Metro placemaking funds, plus bridge financing from a Portland-active CDFI (Craft3, Community Vision, or Beneficial State Bank).
In motion: we've opened Oregon DEQ's cleanup-and-purchase pathway for the site — the environmental review any responsible buyer of a former auto dealership will eventually need, and we're the only prospective buyer doing that homework. With the environmental work and financing assembled, we make a credible offer, and the community builds what it has decided belongs here.
You don't need to be a developer or a lawyer. You just need to show up.
Every dollar signals to funders that this community is organized. Pledges are non-binding and collected only when we're ready to act.
Pledge NowEvery signature shows the city and our grant partners that Montavilla wants a voice in what happens at 7700 SE Stark.
Sign NowPrint our flyer. Post on social. Tell every neighbor. This campaign wins through grassroots reach — one conversation at a time.
Get MaterialsBring skills in law, finance, design, organizing, or communications to the core team building this land trust.
Get InvolvedSign & Join
Sign the community petition and join the MCLT founding member list. We'll keep you updated on meetings, milestones, and ways to get involved.
About This Effort
The Montavilla Community Land Trust is a neighbor-led coalition working to give Montavilla a voice in the future of 7700 SE Stark Street. We are residents and local business people who believe this neighborhood should have a say in what happens to the land at its center.
MCLT is fiscally sponsored by Proud Ground, Portland's established community land trust, which means we can receive grant funds and tax-deductible support today while our own nonprofit incorporation is completed. We are members of the Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition, and our $200,000 planning grant application is in front of the Portland Clean Energy Fund.
We welcome neighbors with experience in law, nonprofit finance, real estate, design, organizing, and community outreach to join the steering committee.
Contact us at info@montavillalandtrust.org or follow #MontavillaLandTrust for updates.