2025 ANNUAL REPORT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STATEMENT

Executive Director Statement

As I reflect on 2025, I am filled with profound gratitude and a deep sense of accomplishment. This year, Big River Community Land Trust crossed a threshold we have been working toward since our founding: we completed our first home, welcomed our first homeowner family, and proved that our model works.

The Tucker Road home is more than a building—it is living proof that permanently affordable homeownership in the Columbia River Gorge is possible. Watching a local family purchase that home at a price that reflects the true cost of living and working here, not the speculative market, affirmed why every meeting, every grant application, and every late night has been worth it.

We also made a transformative investment in our future by acquiring the Avalon Drive property. This site, capable of supporting 40+ permanently affordable homes, represents the next chapter of our mission, and a genuine opportunity to reshape the housing landscape of our region for generations.

2025 also demanded that we grow as an organization. We deepened our financial systems, expanded our bilingual community outreach, strengthened our board, and built the policies and infrastructure needed to scale responsibly.

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None of this happened by accident. It happened because of the extraordinary partners, donors, and community members who believe in what we are building together.

As we continue through 2026, the work ahead is both exciting and weighty. We finalized the sale of our Tucker Road home and celebrated with our first homeowners. We will continue engaging our neighbors in shaping the Avalon Drive neighborhood, and pursue the financing and partnerships needed to break ground. We know the need is urgent—and we know our community is ready.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

ALYSHA SHERBURNE

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2025

Tucker Road Home Completed

Built by Simplicity by Hayden Homes on land gifted to us by the City of Hood River, completion of this home demonstrated that permanently affordable homeownership is achievable right here in the Gorge.

Avalon Drive Property Acquired

We closed on the purchase of the Avalon Drive property—a transformative milestone that positions us to build a neighborhood of about 42 permanently affordable homes in Hood River.

Community Support Increased >300%

Cash donation revenue grew by more than 300% compared to 2024, reflecting a deepening trust in our work and our ability to deliver real results.

Homebuyer Education & Lottery Launched

We opened our first-ever homebuyer application process for the Tucker Road home, creating a transparent and equitable pathway to permanently affordable ownership.

LOOKING AHEAD IN 2026

Tucker Road Sale & Our First Homeowners

Our most immediate and meaningful milestone for 2026 is completing the sale of the Tucker Road home and welcoming our first homeowner family through the door. This closing is more than a transaction, it’s a declaration that Big River CLT’s model works. We will document lessons learned from the full process, from application through closing, to strengthen future sales and begin building a pipeline of qualified buyers for future homes.

$2 Million Federal Appropriation

At the start of this year, we were able to secure a $2 million federal appropriation to support the Avalon Drive development. This funding will provide a critical foundation for infrastructure and construction financing, unlocking additional leveraged capital and accelerating our path to groundbreaking.

Avalon Drive Development

With the property secured, 2026 shifts our focus to planning and design for what will become a neighborhood of about 42 permanently affordable homes. This is the year of co-creation as we work alongside our community, our developer, and our partners to lay the groundwork for groundbreaking. We are working closely with the City of Hood River to ensure we are meeting the community need, and are putting together the necessary financing to get this project off the ground.