Seeking Two Intentional Community Members – Bonny Doon, CA
A Living Canvas: Build Beauty, Grow Food, Create Art
We’re a family of four on 4.5 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, dreaming into reality a small intentional community rooted in resilience, food security, creativity, and conscious connection. We’re seeking two long-term land mates to join us in co-creating a hub for art, nourishment, and collaborative living.
The Land
Our 4.5-acre homestead sits in Bonny Doon—a tight-knit mountain community forged stronger by the 2020 CZU fires. We’re 15 minutes to Felton, 20-25 to Santa Cruz, with sweeping views to Salinas on clear days.
What’s Here:
Rocky, wild terrain with manzanita and oak
30+ mature fruit trees (citrus, apples, pears, plums, figs, persimmons)
Berries, 7 raised beds, 2 fenced garden plots—all on irrigation
Room to build more infrastructure for year-round food production
Workshop space (currently unfinished but evolving into art studios)
Our family home
Detached garage
What’s Coming (3-Year Vision):
Heated outdoor shower with on-demand water heater
Composting toilet
Outdoor communal kitchen (materials ready!)
Wood-fired cob pizza oven
Insulated, heated workshop with private artist studios upstairs, gallery/work space downstairs
Laundry facilities in workshop
Studio above garage for additional tenant
1-2 house concerts per year
Artist/farmer-in-residence program
This is a working landscape—much is established, alive with even more possibility.
The Spaces Available
Spot #1 – Lower Garden Space: $1,400/month
Full hookups: wifi, water, electricity
Near garden beds and fruit trees
Ready now
Spot #2 – Upper Orchard Space: $1,200/month
Infrastructure being developed (water, electricity, wifi coming)
Surrounded by fruit trees
Available soon
Rent may adjust slightly based on your setup needs (storage, defined space, etc.)
What We’re Offering
Shared Resources:
Access to bathroom and sink in garage (for now—composting toilet/outdoor shower coming)
Evolving workshop space for welding, woodwork, and eventually fine art
Harvest from fruit trees, berries, and garden beds (with shared maintenance responsibility)
Monthly community work parties
Monthly communal dinners
Collaborative projects and creative energy
Connection to Bonny Doon’s active, resilient community.
Paid Work Opportunities (Separate from Rent): We may hire tenants for specific projects at fair rates:
Composting toilet construction
Outdoor shower build
Studio renovation
Land clearing
Infrastructure development
This is NOT work-trade for rent reduction—you pay full rent, and we pay you as contractors for projects we need done.
What We Need From You
The Essentials:
Your own RV, tiny home, or yurt
Self-sufficiency skills (you handle your own cooking, basic needs)
Financial stability to cover rent and living expenses
Reliable transportation (this is rural—you’ll need a vehicle)
Builder/contractor skills highly valued
Gardening, permaculture, or farming experience a major plus
The Values:
Respect for land, people, and process
Clear communication and conscious relating
Proactive engagement in community life
Harmony with the land—ecological practices, sustainable living
Healthy living—whole foods, no tobacco
Peaceful rhythms—we’re early risers (up at 6am, days start by 8am, quieting down by 7-8pm)
Shared Responsibility: We’re building a food-secure future together. That means collaborative maintenance of gardens and orchards—not just showing up for harvest. We want partners, not guests.
We are a family of 4 looking to build community on our land with like-minded folks interested in food production, art, healing and collaboration. We are raising two children, 6 and 8 years old and are open to other families joining in as early adopters to this incredibly magical property. We envision community dinners, land-based projects and play and connection.
The Process
Please email: no******************@***il.com:
Brief bio (who you are, your story)
Why Bonny Doon? Why this community?
Your skills (building, gardening, art, other)
Specs on your setup (RV/tiny home/yurt—size, condition, utilities needed)
How you’ll support yourself financially
Timeline for potential move-in
References
Interview – We’ll respond within one week to schedule a conversation
Trial Period – One month, paid at full rent rate, to see if we’re a mutual fit
Move In- November 1st earliest for Spot #1; Spot #2 timing flexible
One person or partnership has ultimate authority.
Still developing or unclear governance approach.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Join fee: Yes
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes (1 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Garden(s), Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Outdoor Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Internet
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
kitchens, dining, and social areas.
Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.
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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