Simplicity’s Community Land Trust Partnerships: Building More than Homes

While every home we build has a story, some projects are especially memorable because of whom they are built for and the partners involved. This year, Simplicity by Hayden Homes partnered with two incredible community land trusts, nonprofit organizations with a mission to provide permanently affordable housing.  

Here’s a look at both projects and the people behind them.

Tucker Road – Hood River, OR

In Hood River, Oregon, Simplicity partnered with Big River Community Land Trust (Big River CLT) on a new home at Tucker Road. This home was a milestone for both organizations: for Big River CLT, this was their first completed homeownership project; for Simplicity, it was the first stand-alone Cascade floorplan.

The Cascade plan is a 1,268 square-foot home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a single-car garage wired for EV charging. A heat pump and solar panels round out the energy-efficiency features with long-term affordability and sustainability in mind.

Big River CLT’s affordable homeownership project has given Brandon and Jenna Horvat a real path to putting down roots in the area with their two kids. Brandon, a project manager, has been out of work for more than three years after a serious injury.

After closing, the Horvats made a point of passing their heartfelt thanks along to Simplicity Project Manager Ryan Hughes for the pride and craftsmanship he brought to the build. As fellow Simplicity team member Adam Cumpiano shared after meeting the family, “They absolutely love the home… They wanted me to tell Ryan, ‘Thank you from our hearts for the pride and effort you put into the home.'”

Big River CLT also reflected on this milestone: “This is the culmination of countless hours of work, unwavering belief in our mission, and [Simplicity’s] generous support. Brandon and Jenna’s story is just the beginning.”

Tucker Road isn’t just a completed house. It’s proof that nonprofit-private housing partnerships work, and we look forward to more collaborations.

Commercial Street – Leavenworth, WA

Simplicity also partnered with Upper Valley MEND on a project in Leavenworth, Washington: the duplex on Commercial Street marked Upper Valley MEND’S first newly constructed ownership units in nearly two decades. Two permanently affordable, three-bedroom, 2.5-bath homes were built under the organization’s community land trust model.

The Leavenworth project was a true community effort. The Marson family donated the land, local donors rallied, and the City of Leavenworth, Chelan County, and Washington state affordable housing programs also contributed funding. Since 2021, Chelan County commissioners have directed nearly $1 million toward Upper Valley MEND’s housing work.

Simplicity brought our predesigned home plans and building expertise to this partnership so Upper Valley MEND could skip the cost of a fully custom design. Our value-engineered floorplans kept construction costs to around $169 per square foot, about 60% of what a comparable custom build would have cost the nonprofit. Those savings mean donors’ dollars went further, and more families could be housed.

As Simplicity team member Scott Myers observed, “This is what Simplicity was founded on…and what Simplicity continues to strive for. We want to keep building…projects like this.”

For Sam Wade, the future Upper Valley MEND homeowner, the project couldn’t be more personal: “This is so much more than just a home to us. This is a chance to really lay down some roots.”

Why This Work Matters

Community land trusts exist to solve a real housing problem: in many mountain towns and gateway communities, the people who work there and sustain the local economy can’t afford to live there. By using ground leases and shared equity models to keep homes permanently affordable, organizations like Big River CLT and Upper Valley MEND are creating genuine pathways to homeownership for both today’s families and future generations.

For Simplicity, these projects remind us why we do this work: efficient, high-quality construction isn’t just good for our business; it’s a tool nonprofits and communities can use to stretch every dollar further and create more homeownership opportunities for more families.

We’re proud to have been part of these milestones, and we’re looking forward to our next community land trust partnership.