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Community Foundation outlines land-trust and pilot workforce housing in Roberts
Summary
The Community Foundation described converting Habitat for Humanity land into a permanent land trust to keep resale prices below market and outlined a near-term pilot of three rental units for Roberts school employees and three owner-occupied units expected in 2026.
The Community Foundation told Carbon County commissioners on Tuesday that it has absorbed assets from the local Habitat for Humanity program and moved to a permanent land-trust model to preserve long-term housing affordability. The foundation’s representative (Speaker 6) said the trust separates land from houses so resale prices stay below market.
That model is already being applied to a house returned to the foundation’s inventory after a buyer failed to meet contract terms; staff plan to rehab that house and reintroduce it to the market with the land held in trust, the representative said. “When the house sells now, any house that we have to help build on, it doesn't go to full market value,” Speaker 6 said, adding that land leases would be nominal to keep monthly costs low.
Commissioners heard a near-term pilot plan that targets workforce housing in Roberts: three rental units reserved for school-district employees (target household income roughly $80,000 or less and rents under roughly $1,500), and three homeownership units through the USDA self-help program anticipated to start in 2026. If successful, the foundation hopes to expand to more ownership units in Bridger over the next five to seven years.
Board members and foundation staff discussed eligibility and screening: the steering committee of volunteers will help design an application, income caps and any work-hour requirements tied to mutual self-help rehabilitation. Staff said the foundation has been leveraging volunteer labor and matching grants rather than relying on state or federal capital funds for the Roberts pilot.
The Community Foundation also reported steady activity on renovation of a historic Roosevelt building — custom windows are being installed and an elevator awaits state sign-off — and expected a grand opening once final work is complete.
Next steps: commissioners asked staff to return with screening criteria, estimated timelines and any funding commitments required to move the Roberts pilot into construction.
