CommonSpace
CommonSpace Community Land Trust of Sonoma County (CSCLT), a 501(c)3 started in 2017, is committed to providing affordable housing and ecological land stewardship in perpetuity. Exploring solutions to the housing and ecological crises in Northern California, our volunteer working group: Darryl Berlin, Katherine Yates, Cassandra Ferrera, Jerry Green and Carolyn North have envisioned a multi-generational, multi-cultural and innovative model of cooperative community in Sonoma County.
Our Mission
To remove land from the speculative market in perpetuity, providing attainable access to land, quality housing, sustainable agriculture and woodland, cooperative communities and cottage industries.
To develop practices that steward, preserve, protect and heal the natural environment – its land, air and water.
To demonstrate this stewardship of the environment and attainable housing by providing information, resources, replicable models and expertise to the general public.
Our Commitment to Affordable Housing
The root idea of the Community Land Trust solution is that affordable housing is part of the public trust. Safeguarding secure housing for all the members of our community is what we seek to do.
As an antidote to the vicious cycle of perpetually increasing home values, the Community Land Trust permanently removes land from the speculative real estate market and protects affordable housing – forever.
CommonSpace CLT also has a deep commitment to ecological stewardship and onsite democratic governance.
Our intention is to partner with agencies in the public and private sector, as well as establish a broad base of member support to engage in projects and programs that develop and safeguard permanently affordable housing. We will work to develop new housing as well as with existing dwellings. Our goal is to keep people in place.
Our programs can accommodate rental models as well as limited equity approaches to secure housing. No matter what, we keep in mind that housing needs to be secure and sustainable, not temporary or precarious.
Our CLT has a unique dedication to multi-unit properties. We see that much of our current housing infrastructure isolates individuals and families from each other. It is our intent to support housing cooperatives in the rural and urban environments to collaboratively manage their housing and land resources. With the support of the Community Land Trust, dignity can be restored to those vulnerable members of our community and the social fabric can be re-woven in our communities.
Our Board of Directors
Darryl Berlin
Executive Director
Darryl Berlin is very passionate about creating affordable housing options and empowering diverse communities who are precariously housed, displaced, or otherwise impacted by systemic racism. He is a Co-founder of CommonSpace Community Land Trust and joined as Board President to help crack the hard nut of building affordable housing in Sonoma County. Darryl enjoys the process of assembling a grass roots team to meet their collective visions and goals for secure, dignified, and equitable housing.
Darryl has been in the construction trades and housing ecosystem for 30 years. Starting as an apprentice for a Timber frame building in 1992, to teaching apprenticeships in Natural Building techniques in the mid 2000’s and moving onto Construction Project Management in 2012. Darryl graduated from CoHousing Solutions’ yearlong Development Project Management Training Program in 2015.
Through his work as a builder, design consultant, community member and educator, activist, he can merge his passions for fine craft, ecological stewardship, relationship to place, and social justice into the projects he helps bring to life.
Cindy Cunningham
Development Director
Cindy Cunningham is a top producing Real Estate Agent at Klassic Key Properties. With almost 20 years of real estate expertise after her retirement as a first responder; Cindy is renowned for her ability to navigate any situation in a calm, competent, and creative manner. While Cindy has done plenty of traditional home sales, she specializes in community building, sustainable living and co-housing real estate.
Cindy is an advocate of “housing for all” and embraces the opportunity of CommonSpace Community Land Trust to provide affordable and secure housing in Sonoma County. Cindy is known for her commitment to her clients’ best interest and offering highly individualized service.
Se habla Espanol.
Bruce Cunningham
Treasurer
Bruce Cunningham is a retired Stationary Engineer after working 20 years at Kaiser Permanente, servicing their equipment systems. Bruce spent decades serving the community. He served as Treasurer for St. Joseph’s Men’s Club, was a volunteer at Larkspur Fire Department and has helped several disabled seniors manage their accounting. Bruce graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt, with a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science and was in charge of the education program for the Electrical Union 551 in Santa Rosa.
Bruce is passionate about renewable energy and other innovative solutions to the climate crisis. Bruce is always looking towards making the future the best it can be. He is proud to serve CommonSpace in providing safe and secure housing.
Our Advisory Board
Robin Rudderrow
Grant Writer
After a 30+ year career in San Francisco as a business and real property attorney, Robin’s Sonoma County practice now focuses on estate planning and community land trusts. A long time friend of CommonSpace CLT, Robin is pleased to provide grant writing and fundraising services to CommonSpace to help with the good work of creating affordable housing.
Sheila Almquist
Marketing Coordinator
A graduate of SSU in education with experience in marketing, banking, real estate and community development, Sheila’s passion lies in finding practical ways to improve local communities while helping people believe in positive change. Her extensive travel exposes her to exploring different cultures of the world enhancing her quest to strengthen and build communities.
Ezequiel “Zeke” Guzman
Community Engagement Coordinator
Ezequiel “Zeke” Guzman has dedicated his life to advocacy for farmworker and low income communities. Zeke comes from a family of migrant farmworkers and has experienced the profound hardships that the community faces. For over 45 years Zeke has advocated for inclusion and equity. He has worked to help people attain living wages, affordable housing, and vocational training. Zeke is the President of Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma, a Board Member of Alliance Medical Center: Rural Farmworker clinic, and the Founder of La Familia Sana. Zeke is also a member of the CA Farmworker Advocacy Group; Statewide group advocating for farmworker justice in volunteer work with UC Berkeley, Agriculture and Natural Resources/Environmental Health Science – Evaluating County of Sonoma’s Ag Pass Program. Zeke is dedicated to providing safe and secure housing with CommonSpace.
Our History
