Campfire burning on open land with a small shed and sparse trees.

Collective Spaces

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Forming
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2021

What we do

Collective Spaces is a member-owned working farm and forming intentional community on 204 acres in Halifax County, Virginia.

The farm includes peaches and plums; figs, pawpaws, mulberries, irises and peonies; three pine stands; 84 acres of older-growth hardwood and mixed forest; about 4.5 miles of trails; campsites; and two wood-framed geodesic domes. A community-accessible food forest is agreed and planned, not yet established; it needs funding, time, energy, and hands in the soil.

We think of the land as a canvas with the edges painted in. Acreage, water, roads, neighbors, current projects, and shared values give it shape; the center is unfinished. New people can add to it through farming, governance, care, art, learning, infrastructure, business, or another relationship they help shape.

Our owner group is committed but dispersed and short on time. We seek five new owner-members, then five more, especially people who can help sustain the farm financially and build an active relationship with the land. Dues are sliding-scale, grounded in financial accessibility and class solidarity. Around $200 is our reference; some contribute more or less.

There are no firm hourly requirements for farm or related work, although a great deal needs to get done. Members contribute voluntarily according to capacity, initiative, interest, and relationship. Work Collective Spaces defines with deadlines and performance expectations should be paid.

Big shared decisions are made through sociocracy while members retain independence within agreed locations, resources, impacts, and boundaries.

There is no finished housing on the farm. Self-contained or primitive presence may be possible only after location, sanitation, safety, duration, and shared impacts are discussed together.

The best first step is to email in**@******************rm.com and join one of our online meetings, held most Mondays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. A meeting or visit is a beginning, not membership or housing approval.

Our Vision

Collective Spaces, a diverse and inclusive group, stewards the land, breaks class barriers, supports each other, improves ourselves, and positively impacts our communities. We are creating a vibrant space to grow, learn, live, play, and thrive together.

Our Mission

Creating vibrant spaces to grow, learn, live, play, and thrive together.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Land-Based Communities
  • Sustainability practices
  • Sustainability education and community engagement
  • Natural / low-impact building
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Networking
  • Services Business
  • Ecosystem
  • Temperate Forest

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2021
  • Started planning

Gallery

  • 10 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
11

How to join

Email in**@******************rm.com and join an online meeting, held most Mondays at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. If interest continues, we may plan another meeting or farm visit before discussing the incoming-member path and 90-day review.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Stay in relationship: communicate, join meetings and visits when you can, contribute sustainable sliding-scale dues, and help care for the land or community according to capacity. There are no firm hourly work requirements.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Consent-Based (Sociocracy)

Decisions proceed unless someone has a reasoned objection.

Governance structure

  • Sociocratic/Circle-Based

Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.

Economic model

  • Sliding Scale Contributions

Financial contributions based on individual ability to pay, with varying amounts according to income levels.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Members keep separate incomes and personal finances. Owner dues are sliding scale, grounded in financial accessibility and class solidarity. Around $200 per month is our reference point; some members pay more and some less. Money does not purchase extra governance power.

Incoming-member dues are held in escrow until the membership review at or before 90 days.

There is no labor obligation or fixed hourly requirement. The land still needs mowing, farming, repair, administration, and care, and members contribute voluntarily. Work Collective Spaces assigns with deadlines and performance expectations should be paid.

A member may develop a farm, workshop, event, or business after discussion of location, resources, impacts, legal structure, and shared boundaries. Membership does not promise employment, income, housing, business approval, or land use.

Collective Spaces is still developing a community-ownership framework for substantial businesses on the land. It is not yet a settled public term.

Vehicle accessibility

  • It would be difficult / impossible to live in this community without a car

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Shared resources include the land as a whole within agreed use and safety boundaries, a fire pit, existing buildings and outbuildings, the community outdoor kitchen, tools, and a tractor. Availability and responsibility are worked out together. These are working-farm resources, not finished housing or general guest accommodations. The farm has no well or septic, and power is very limited.

Frequency of communal meals

  • Rarely

Community activities and engagement

  • Members and visitors may participate in farming and orchard care, silviculture and land stewardship, infrastructure projects, sociocratic governance, educational workshops, arts and gatherings, outdoor recreation, and member-led farm or business projects. Specific events and work days are announced as capacity allows.

Educational and retreat offerings

Collective Spaces hosts monthly work-play weekends: educational, hands-on gatherings where people learn together, complete real farm and infrastructure work, share time on the land, and build community. Annual events include Figure, Fruit and Field – a gathering around the farm, creative practice, fruit, fields, and community – along with a plum-picking weekend, holiday tree-cutting weekend, and Spooky Stories. We also welcome educational workshops throughout the year and are actively seeking members and non-members to facilitate farm-focused and community-focused workshops.

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies

Level of LGBTQIA+ inclusion

  • Very inclusive - significant LGBTQIA+ representation

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Ecosystem

  • Temperate Forest

Moderate climate with distinct seasonal changes
Includes deciduous and mixed forest types
Examples: Eastern North American Forests, European Broadleaf Forests

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Sustainability approach

  • Sustainability education and community engagement
  • Natural / low-impact building

Water conservation practices

  • Composting toilets
  • Land area size
    204 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Virginia, United States

Collective Spaces

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

Offer
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
2 months ago

3000sf House+Apartment, Rosewind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA

We are a retired couple who are downsizing, still living within the community. We are selling our large, flexible, comfortably rustic house, perfect for a multigenerational household, a family with kids or for 2 separate households. It’s 3000 square feet on 3 levels. The house is on a slope, with 2 main entrances. At one time it housed a large blended family. The current setup is a 2250 square foot, 2 bath main house with a 700 square foot rental apartment, also called an auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU). There is a staircase between the main and lower floor, with a lockable door. If desired, the ADU kitchen can be removed. The main floor has a very large kitchen/dining area, large living room, two small bedrooms, a bathroom with 2 sinks and a shower, a laundry room and a large mudroom. The non-bearing wall between the 2 bedrooms can be removed to turn it back to a single primary bedroom. The top floor has two bedrooms, one of which is primary with a large bright sitting area, and a large open middle area between them (game room, TV room, kids sleeping area, etc.). There is a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, no shower. The lower floor is the ADU, a finished storage area and a stand-up “crawl space“ which is used as a second pantry and storage.Attached to the house there is also a 150 sq ft wood paneled office/hobby space with its own electric and propane lines. Features: – straw bale construction, which is energy-efficient, great sound insulation, and provides a warm, soft, feeling. -very large functional kitchen with a long granite countertop. The dining area fits 10 people. -natural construction, with solid maple floors in the middle and upper level, marmoleum floor in kitchen and oak floor in the lower level. The two small bedrooms have painted wood floors. The doors are all solid wood. -large, functional, low maintenance patio area. Room for a table for eight and an additional sitting area. Propane hook ups for grills and smokers.
  • Promoted
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
8 months ago

Worktrade Opportunities on Big Island Hawaii

We are continuing our work-trade program at Bridge Hawaii for the right people on this beautiful 86-acre land located along the Hāmākua Coast. Ideally, we want to host those individuals who can help with the garden and who can support with build projects for up to a 3 month stay. This work-trade would include lodging, food staples, community kitchen, running hot water showers, off-grid electricity, and laundry. There is access to high speed wi-fi. We often have a car that can be reserved. We also have full bar signal strength with Verizon cellphone service. We have about 2 acres of permaculture garden that needs to be cared for including; weeding, planting, picking up mulch, some tree trimming, ect. We are currently in a building stage on the land. We have a few current grant projects we are working on and some build projects that are underway. We are an intentional community with about 8 permanent residents. There are rescue dairy cows, mini cows, mini donkeys, horses, a donkey, cats, dogs, and active bee hives. We are a drug and alcohol “free” space. A glass of wine or beer with dinner is fine, but absolutely no day drinking or parties. We have a meditation temple and many waterfall pools that are wonderful for swimming. Close to some of the nicest beaches on island. We have snorkeling gear and a kayak. Since this is an animal sanctuary, we limit the consumption of meat on the land. Fish, eggs, honey, and dairy are fine. Let me know if you’re interested by sending an email or text for our application. Maomi (801) 623-0738 ma***@*****************ii.com
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Offer

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A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

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An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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