There has been
about Kathy Cargill buying more than 20 properties on Park Point. Perspectives shared have ranged from outraged concern about the impact on the neighborhood (“This must be stopped!”) to unconcern because nothing illegal has been done (“Who do elected officials think they are, meddling in private transactions?”) and comments on Ms. Cargill’s behavior (not the focus of this piece).
In light of the varied responses, I believe there are some common understandings for our community that are worth exploring. There are several things about the situation on which most in our community can agree.
For starters, we can likely all agree that Ms. Cargill has done nothing illegal. Most of us would agree to feeling apprehensive if a private party bought more than 20 private homes in our neighborhood and demolished many of them without explaining what was planned to come next.
Most of us who know Park Point would likely also agree that the neighborhood has higher quality and value homes than many Duluth neighborhoods. Those of us who agree with the previous sentence would likely also agree that tearing down quality housing may not be in the best interest of the community.
Many, if not most, of us might further agree that as remote work, Duluth’s outdoor recreational reputation, and climate change all progress, more people with significant financial capacity will be buying homes in Duluth.
Finally, many, if not most, of us would agree that such changes in housing markets are not unique to Duluth and are part and parcel of what can and often does happen in places deemed desirable to live. Indeed, investors buying up large numbers of single-family homes in neighborhoods is causing major issues in many U.S. cities and is likely to happen in other Duluth neighborhoods.
If indeed most of us agree with these sentiments, then we would be wise to stand back and ask what is going on here. And if what we think is going on is not in our community’s best interest then we should ask what we can do about it.
One proven answer is community land trust (CLT) homes. Had any of the individual homes Ms. Cargill purchased been CLT homes they would not have been bought by her because the CLT homeownership model precludes the homes from being sold to a party who does not live in them. Further, by virtue of the shared appreciation applied when CLT homes resell, CLT homes are only available to low- and moderate-income buyers.
Over the years, we at One Roof Community Housing have created more than 350 CLT homes (most in Duluth) and managed the resales of CLT homes more than 240 times, maintaining their affordability and ensuring the owners lived in the homes.
While the community land trust model may not precisely be the solution for Park Point, perhaps certain aspects of CLT could be used to keep such property grabs from happening again. Deed restrictions, housing co-ops, and zoning changes could also be used to help preserve the highest and best use of our housing and neighborhoods.
In the spirit of the
inspired by Ms. Cargill’s words, this is our community, and we can and should take steps to make sure it is a good place for all of us.
Jeff Corey is executive director of
. He wrote this for the News Tribune.
