Cool Creek Cooperative Neighborhood is located just south of the village of Mesa, Colorado, on the north slope of Grand Mesa 33 miles east of Grand Junction. It is an area characterized by stunning natural beauty and diversity, fresh air, abundant water, and easy access to public land.
In 2012 a group of friends began discussing ideas for a neighborhood that embraced the qualities of the area but envisioned a different way of living there. A vision took shape that combined the best characteristics of rural living with the value of a highly functional community – natural beauty, environmental quality, and neighbors who care about the common good, sharing resources and working together so that everyone can live more simply and sustainably. This common vision led to a plan to create Cool Creek, a cooperative neighborhood that would offer a healthy balance between personal life and the benefits of community.
The neighborhood is situated on a 9½ acre parcel of land. There are 10 private lots that collectively occupy approximately 2½ acres of the parcel. Adjacent to the house lots there is a common area of approximately 1½ acres where various shared resources (gardens, orchards, tools, multi-purpose building) will be located. The remainder of the land (~5½ acres) will be left as open land to be enjoyed by all residents. Mesa Creek runs through the property, creating a rich riparian area that provides a wonderful place to walk, cool off, and listen to the sounds of moving water and wildlife.
Cool Creek is surrounded by a diverse landscape that includes pasture lands, scrub woodlands, forests, wetlands and streams. The area is home to a wide variety of wildlife and relatively few people. From the neighborhood there are panoramic views in all directions, highlighted by Grand Mesa, Castle Rock, and the Roan Cliffs. The neighborhood is near the village of Mesa (walking distance), while also being close (a few minutes’ drive) to Powderhorn ski area and Grand Mesa, described as “the world’s largest flat top mountain”.
While Cool Creek offers many outstanding physical qualities and recreational opportunities, it offers something more vital and increasingly rare in today’s world – the opportunity to participate in a cooperative community, where neighbors work together and share resources so that each person can live more fully and sustainably.
Create and sustain a neighborhood that respects individuality, provides the strength of community, and thrives through cooperation.
Please contact Cool Creek Neighborhood Association for further information.
Please contact Cool Creek Neighborhood Association to schedule a visit.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
More than 50% agreement needed.
Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.
People in the neighborhood will be living in fairly close proximity and sharing open space and resources, so there will be some shared responsibility, issues to be resolved, and decisions that must be made collectively. Draft covenants and a model for a Neighborhood Association have been created, with the expectation that they will be finalized as the neighborhood comes together and everyone’s ideas are considered. There is general agreement among current members that we don’t want to get mired in process and trying to manage in advance everything that could come up. Our intention is to foster an environment of trust and communication, and from there develop a simple process for living and working together.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Join fee: Yes
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
There is an annual assessment used to pay for necessities (property taxes, insurance, and maintenance on community owned land and facilities) and any improvements to community land and resources that are desired by the lot owners (plantings, tool acquisition, community building improvements, etc.). The annual budget is determined at a neighborhood meeting each January, with the assessment being the budget amount divided equally among the lots.
Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
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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