City of Adelanto earns Sustainability Award for home program

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·4 min read

The Inland Equity Community Land Trust has earned a prestigious Sustainability Award from the Southern California Association of Governments for its Plan Adelanto program.

Plan Adelanto, which provides reduced-priced homes for low-income families, was honored with the Carmen Ramirez Award for Equity.

The city of Adelanto also received one of seven Sustainability Awards presented May 2, during the Southern California Association of Governments’ Regional Conference in Palm Desert.

The Inland Equity Community Land Trust has earned a prestigious Sustainability Award from the Southern California Association of Governments for its Plan Adelanto program.
The Inland Equity Community Land Trust has earned a prestigious Sustainability Award from the Southern California Association of Governments for its Plan Adelanto program.

Southern California Association of Governments officials said the awards recognized excellence and innovation in planning, land use and transportation to improve mobility, livability, prosperity and sustainability, all critical to accomplishing the goals of the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy.

Plan Adelanto sits on a 20-acre lot on the southwest corner of Mojave Drive and Koala Road, west of Adelanto High School. Four homes are included in Phase 1.

“We are honored that a program from our community can serve as a model for others when it comes to making the dream of home ownership more achievable. Plan Adelanto also keeps investments local, paving the way for a sustainable future for all involved,” said Adelanto Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Ramos.

The program makes the dream of owning a home more achievable while keeping investments local, paving the way for a sustainable future for all involved, according to Southern California Association of Governments officials

Buyers obtain a loan to purchase the home, near or at cost. The Inland Equity Community Land Trust will retain ownership of the land and equity that comes from any pricing subsidies; that equity will stay with the home, thereby subsidizing the price for the next buyer. Meanwhile, all purchasers are able to build equity from their own initial investments, according to the plan.

“We congratulate all our award winners, whose work represents the best of the best when it comes to meeting California’s sustainability goals and improving quality of life in the SCAG region,” said SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise. “These projects are models of innovative solutions to challenges that all our communities face, and by lifting them up we hope to see them replicated and built upon across the region.”

Sustainability Award winners

Other 2024 Sustainability Award winners across Southern California include:

  • Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability: The Los Angeles Department of Transportation, for its Universal Basic Mobility Pilot Program in South Los Angeles. The UBM Pilot Program includes elements designed to connect the community with diverse and sustainable transportation options. These include transportation subsidies, e-bike libraries, electric vehicle car-sharing programs, increased mobile payment options on all modes of transportation, and workforce training aimed at empowering residents with skills for an emerging green economy.

  • Housing Award: The city of Moreno Valley for Courtyards at Cottonwood, a groundbreaking initiative to provide affordable housing and on-site supportive services tailored to low-income families and seniors. The project’s first phase is an 80-unit affordable multifamily residential community, located near two local transit bus stops. Amenities include a computer lab, on-site supportive job placement resources, a swimming pool and a clubhouse.

  • Plan, Policy and Program Award: The Riverside Community College District, for its Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, is designed to establish the District as a leader in responding to evolving environmental and climate challenges. Using 1990 as its baseline year, the plan seeks a 75% reduction in carbon emissions caused by on-site fuel combustion by 2030 and a 50% decrease in water usage by 2032.

  • Active, Healthy and Safe Communities Award: The city of Buena Park Silverado Phase 2, designed to reduce gaps along the existing trail. Improvements include a 14-foot-wide concrete pathway adjacent to a 6-foot-wide decomposed pathway, and the installation of drought-resistant native landscaping, waste receptacles, benches and signage to encourage pedestrian use.  The Silverado Trail allows residents and visitors to connect with the environment and areas of the city motorists cannot access. It also provides a safer route to school for many school-aged children and their families.

  • Clean Cities: Alternatives Fuels and Infrastructure Award: Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Fund Program, which collected nearly $135 million as of Dec. 31, 2023, to incentivize zero-emission truck purchases and support the development of zero-emission charging infrastructure. The money comes from a $10 fee that is levied on any 20-foot container on trucks that do not qualify as zero-emission or low-nitrous oxide vehicles.

  • Green Region Initiative: Climate Action and Resource Conservation Award: The city of Oxnard Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, is a comprehensive strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% below 2010 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: City of Adelanto earns Sustainability Award for home program