OPAL Community Land Trust

Name

OPAL Community Land Trust

Legal name

OPAL Community Land Trust

Website

https://opalclt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing / Community Land Trust Services

NAICS

Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111), Residential Property Managers (531311)

SIC

Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable & Public Housing Asset Management (BPAJAMAI)

Keywords

• Affordable housing services
• Community land trust
• Permanently affordable homeownership
• Rental housing management
• Community lending program

Headquarters

HQ city

Orcas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Homeownership Sales: OPAL sells homes to income-qualified buyers through a community land trust model where OPAL retains ownership of the land and sells the house with a 99-year lease. This model keeps homes permanently affordable as resale prices are restricted.
2. Rental Income: OPAL operates 75 rental units across four properties including Reddick Apartments and Lavender Hollow, providing affordable housing for low- and moderate-income Orcas households.
3. Island Loan Fund: The Island Loan Fund provides real estate loans and technical assistance to Orcas Islanders who need a mortgage loan and are creditworthy but not yet eligible for a bank loan. The fund is capitalized by individuals who want to invest locally.
4. Individual Donations: Nearly 25% of OPAL's financial support, or an average of $500,000 annually, comes from individuals. About 15% of island households contribute to OPAL's programs. The organization also accepts major gifts, legacy gifts, securities, property donations, and IRA donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OPAL Community Land Trust creates and stewards permanently affordable housing on Orcas Island, Washington, through three core programs: selling homes to income-qualified buyers while retaining ownership of the underlying land under 99-year ground leases, operating 75 affordable rental units across four properties for low- and moderate-income households, and running the Island Loan Fund which provides mortgage loans to creditworthy island residents not yet eligible for bank financing. Supporting services include homebuyer education, financial counseling, and ongoing property stewardship.

Product overview

OPAL Community Land Trust operates as a nonprofit organization providing permanently affordable housing on Orcas Island through three core product lines: Affordable Home Ownership (homes sold with OPAL retaining land ownership under 99-year leases), Rental Housing (75 units across four properties), and the Island Loan Fund (community lending for mortgage financing). Supporting services include homebuyer education, financial counseling, stewardship programs, and EV charging stations. Current development projects include Pea Patch Community Campus (20 rental townhomes with Food Bank facilities), Lydia Lane (5 modular homes), and Kidder Way (10 homeownership townhomes). The organization stewards 120 ownership homes, 104 rental homes, four commercial spaces, and more than 100 acres of land.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable Home Ownership Program

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Orcas Island Food BankflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration on Pea Patch Community Campus - a unified social services hub on 11 acres. OPAL owns the land; Food Bank will have permanent facilities for food distribution. Includes 20 new townhome rentals for households with very low incomes.
• Orcas Island Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Initiated the Pea Patch property acquisition effort and continues as collaborative partner in the Pea Patch Community Campus development.
• Funhouse CommonscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in Pea Patch Community Campus development, represented at ground-turning event. Provides youth and family services.
• Salmonberry SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in Pea Patch Community Campus development, represented at ground-turning ceremony.
• West Coast Homes of LyndencoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Modular home builder constructing five three-bedroom, two-bath houses at Lydia Lane. Using modular construction for quality, speed, and reduced disruption to neighborhood.
• Faber ConstructioncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Local contractor working with West Coast Homes on Lydia Lane modular home construction project.
• Homes for IslanderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Original developer of Lydia Lane neighborhood. OPAL is expanding the neighborhood to have nine OPAL homes and five homes built/owned under HFI's self-build program. West Coast Homes of Lynden, WA is the modular home builder.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: Major national nonprofit focused on affordable housing development and community development financial institutions. Comparable mission at much larger scale; serves as a peer in the affordable housing nonprofit ecosystem.
• Habitat for Humanity: National nonprofit affordable housing provider with broader scale and global footprint. Comparable mission of providing affordable homeownership to low-income households, though Habitat uses different stewardship models (not 99-year ground leases).

Direct peers

• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership organization for community land trusts and shared-equity housing providers. OPAL is a member of this network; serves as a peer/ecosystem organization representing the broader CLT movement OPAL belongs to.
• Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative: Boston-based community land trust focused on equitable neighborhood revitalization and permanently affordable housing. Comparable community-led CLT model with grassroots ownership approach similar to OPAL.
• Burlington Community Land Trust: Vermont-based community land trust providing permanently affordable homeownership through the ground lease model. Closely comparable structure and mission to OPAL, with shared-equity resale formula for permanent affordability.
• Champlain Housing Trust: Burlington, VT-based community land trust and the largest CLT in the United States, stewarding over 2,000 affordable homes. Directly comparable to OPAL as both operate permanent affordability CLT models with shared-equity homeownership.
• Bay Area Community Land Trust: California-based community land trust providing permanently affordable housing in the Bay Area. Directly comparable CLT model with ground leases and resale restrictions; serves similar low-income demographic.
• San Juan Community Home Trust: Operates in the same San Juan County as OPAL, providing permanently affordable housing on San Juan Island. Directly comparable as a regional peer operating under the same county/state regulatory environment and CLT model.
• Northern California Land Trust: Northern California community land trust focused on preserving permanently affordable housing through stewardship of rental and ownership properties. Comparable CLT structure with permanent affordability mission.

Emerging players

• ROC USA: National nonprofit supporting resident-owned communities and cooperative housing. Comparable in providing alternative ownership models to traditional real estate, though focused on manufactured home communities rather than fixed-site rentals like OPAL.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user12765830
• Xx.com/opal_clt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OPAL Community Land Trust