AUSTIN, TX – The City of Austin Housing Department and Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) celebrate the groundbreaking of Johnny Limon Village, a new 27-unit Community Land Trust homeownership community in East Austin. The homes will be developed by and sold through the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC). Construction will begin this Summer 2025 and is anticipated to be completed in Spring 2027. 

“Johnny Limon Village is a direct result of listening to the community,” says Mandy DeMayo, Interim Director of the City of Austin Housing Department. “Community feedback reinforced the need for affordable homeownership opportunities here, which was key in selecting this proposal. This development supports long-term affordability through the Community Land Trust model, helping families with deep ties to East Austin stay in their communities.” 

Johnny Limon Village, located at 800 Gardner Road in District 3, will consist of 20 homes available at 80% Median Family Income (MFI) and 7 homes at 60% MFI. The development will be completed in two phases, with half of the homes available in Winter 2026 and the other half available in Spring 2027. The homes range in size from 1,200 to 1,650 square feet and will be available as follows: 

The AHFC executed a loan agreement of $3,083,400 in 2022 General Obligation (GO) Bonds through the Ownership Housing Development Assistance (OHDA) Program. The site also received grants from Reissa Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, and The Meadows Foundation to support the development 

AHFC acquired approximately 8.2 acres of surplus land from the City of Austin via two transactions in 2014 and 2022. AHFC awarded a solicitation to Vecino Group and GNDC to develop Libertad Austin at Gardner, an affordable rental community, and Johnny Limon Village in 2020. Libertad is anticipated to be complete later this year and includes 198 units.  

GNDC led the way by developing the first Community Land Trust home in Texas in 2012. Community Land Trusts (CLT) create permanently affordable housing by owning the land and selling the homes on it at below-market rates. CLTs help ensure long-term housing affordability by keeping homes accessible to low- and moderate-income families, even as property values rise. They are often used to support equitable development and prevent displacement. In GNDC’s CLT, the homes are sold at an affordable price to income-eligible households, and the land is leased for $50 per month/$600 per year. The program provides both new and rehabilitated homes.  

GNDC gives priority to families with generational ties to the areas where it develops housing. Over 90% of its prospective homebuyers have strong ties to the East Austin community. Their intention for Johnny Limon Village is that buyers will be current or former East Austin residents wanting to own a home to remain or return to the City’s Eastside. GNDC will also follow the City’s Preference Policy, which also focuses on generational ties to the city, right-sizing household size to number of bedrooms, and disability access.  

The City of Austin also has an Austin Community Land Trust (ACLT), which the Housing Department oversees and the Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) administers. The ACLT homes are designated for first-time homebuyers and allow low-to-moderate income Austinites to build equity as homeowners.