The Caño Martín Peña Land Trust delivers new community titles

The Caño Martín Peña Land Trust and the ENLACE Caño Martín Peña Project Corporation, headed by its executive director Lucy Cruz Rivera, held an emotional community assembly to formalize the delivery of new surface-right deeds to resident families of the eight communities along the estuarine canal in San Juan.

The prize-winning model of collective land tenure, administered democratically by the residents themselves through the Group of the Eight Communities (G-8), separates ownership of the soil, which belongs in perpetuity to the community trust, from title to each family's dwelling. This innovative legal scheme protects low-income inhabitants against real-estate speculation, gentrification, and forced eviction in the center of the capital.

Executive director Lucy Cruz Rivera and community leaders also noted progress in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the environmental dredging of Caño Martín Peña. The ecological-restoration work will allow tidal exchange between San Juan Bay and Laguna San José to be restored, mitigating chronic flooding and transforming the quality of life of more than 25,000 residents.

Source: NotiCel. https://www.noticel.com/comunidad/ahora/20260301/fideicomiso-cano-martin-pena-otorga-nuevos-titulos-colectivos/