Muskoka Community Land Trust
National SPRE Accelerator 2025
Location: Huntsville, ON
Website: https://www.muskokacommunitylandtrust.org
Contact: Melinda Zytaruk, Senior Project Director: melinda@muskokaclt.org
Mission and Vision
The Muskoka Community Land Trust (MCLT) is a community-led, nonprofit organization that benefits Muskoka by acquiring and stewarding land to develop permanently affordable housing, social enterprise and food security.
Vision: Beautiful, sustainable, and permanently affordable housing embedded in vibrant communities across Muskoka.
Project
Project: Phase 1 of a multi-phase development on 7.5 acres of property in Huntsville, Ontario. The first building in development is an 80-unit, 3-story building. Accessibility and meeting the needs of those in core housing are priorities. Fair market rents and 40% of units at CMHC affordability rents will be included as part of a diverse community-building strategy. The building will meet or exceed affordability, sustainability and climate change mitigation and adaptation targets set by the build team to be consistent with the MCLT values and objectives. Net Zero upfront and Operational Carbon and Net zero energy operations are targets. Passive House design principles and climate change risk mitigation will be incorporated into key design decision-making. Total Cost of Building Ownership will be optimized to reduce risk and improve long-term financial organizational stability.
In the Accelerator, they will
Advance the project from concept to detailed design through Class B/A budget development and navigating permit submissions. Muskoka CLT is also seeking guidance on resident onboarding, selection and management, outreach strategies during construction, and building effective partnerships with value-aligned social service organizations to ensure successful operations and long-term community development.