Athens Land Trust (ALT) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 in Athens, Georgia—not Athens, Greece—by Skipper StipeMaas and Nancy Stangle. The group emerged from an effort to reconcile land conservation with affordable housing: its founders sought to protect open spaces while ensuring housing in the Kenney Ridge community remained within reach for low-income residents. This led to ALT adopting a model that uniquely blends the principles of both conservation and community land trusts.
ALT’s mission is to improve quality of life by preserving, protecting, and strengthening community through education and stewardship of land, focusing on affordable housing, conservation, agriculture, and economic development. Since its inception, ALT has grown considerably. By 2023, the organization held conservation easements on more than 13,500 acres across 26 Georgia counties, including forests, wetlands, and historic sites.
In terms of housing, ALT has either built or renovated over 30 single-family homes in Athens and completed repairs on about 50 more, primarily in historically marginalized neighborhoods. Its approach ensures homes remain permanently affordable via shared equity ownership. ALT also received recognition for launching the West Broad Market Garden, a successful urban agriculture and food security initiative that provides employment, farm products, and training to local residents.
Current activities include ongoing affordable housing projects, financial counseling, urban farming, energy education, and stewardship of conserved open spaces. In 2025, the organization marked 30 years with the appointment of a new executive director, Demetrius D. Jordan.