Vast field of purple wildflowers with a hill in the background under a blue sky.

Riverbed Ranch Homesteading Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Town/Small City

Founding year

  • 2017

What we do

We are creating a self-reliance community where families can extract themselves from being dependent on the power grid, gas company, city water, and grocery stores in the city. This is not a political or religious statement, it’s an agricultural cooperative created for the benefit of its members.
We are building 250 family online-but-off-grid, self-reliance community as an agricultural co-op under Title 3 of the Utah Code. Every 2-acre lot comes with at least 4 acre feet of water shares (very important in the dry Western US!).
There is no HOA to tell you what you can and can’t do with your 2 acre paradise. However, since this IS an agricultural co-op, each shareholder…
A) agrees to build an off-grid home, well, a shop, barn, garden and greenhouse,
B) is required to engage in some form of pesticide-free agriculture – anything from raising worms to horses to fruits and veggies.
C) can eventually sell their surplus produce through the co-op which will try to get an account with Associated Foods or the like.
D) can sell products or services of their home-based businesses.
E) can save around 20-30% on the cost of building their home, barn and greenhouse through bulk purchasing arranged by co-op members.
Why do developers never create such cooperative communities like this? Because there’s no profit in it! This is a non-profit agricultural co-op, created under Utah law for the benefit of the shareholders.

Our Mission

Our mission is to make it as inexpensive as reasonably possible for a family to leave the lifestyle of dependencies in the city and transition comfortably to a country culture of cooperation and self-reliance, debt-free and surrounded by other self-reliant families.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Ecovillage
  • Intentional Neighborhoods
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Activities
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Others

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2017
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2020
  • Started living together
  • 79 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
149

How to join

1. Watch our update videos to see that we’re really doing it! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCefJX23MKjnPm2Ta65e9V4Q/videos
2. Watch our 1st and 2nd introductory videos – https://OSRcommunity.com/introduction-utah/
3. Attend a Q&A zoom call – https://www.eventbrite.com/o/academy-of-self-reliance-27972265747
4. Tour Riverbed Ranch – https://www.eventbrite.com/o/academy-of-self-reliance-27972265747
5. Meet with our board to answer any remaining questions, review the shareholder application, and pay for your share in the co-op ($30,000).
6. Assuming the board of directors finds that you are serious about putting in the work to becoming self-reliant, and you have the resources to build out your 2.0 to 2.4 acre homestead (at least $235,000), your application will be approved.
7. Pick your lot!

Basic expectations or agreements for members

To tour the Riverbed Ranch property, home of the Utah OSR Land Co-op, just browse to https://www.eventbrite.com/o/riverbed-ranch-27972265747

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

Specifically, like typical cooperatives, we are governed by a board of elected representatives from among our shareholders. One share = one vote, and one adult can only own one share. This prevents any single person or company from wresting control of the co-op from the shareholders.
There is a movement among some of our shareholders to explore adopting Sociocracy, as we don’t like the fact that majority rule = minority loses.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • 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

Join fee: $30000
Regular fees: $0
Our goal is to help people get out of a lifestyle of dependencies in the city. This includes getting out of debt. You’re not truly self-reliant if the bank can take away your home! Each household will want to generate revenue to sustain itself, through traditional employment, and/or selling goods and services provided to customers both within and without the community. Also, the co-op itself hopes to eventually produce revenue through various agricultural projects. It is hoped (but not guaranteed) that these revenue-generation projects will eventually replace the need for a monthly maintenance fee.

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

Library, Workshop, Hot tub or hot springs, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Community activities and engagement

  • Transition Town (post-petroleum and off-grid communities.)
  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Muslim
  • Hindu

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

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

Setting

  • Town/Small City

Smaller municipalities with local services but rural character.

Community type

  • Cohousing

    Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
    interaction while maintaining independence.

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Intentional Neighborhoods

    Geographically close groups of independently-owned homes whose residents actively cultivate community relationships and shared values.

Sustainability approach

  • Renewable energy systems

Self-produced energy

  • 33 - 66%

Energy sources used

  • Wind
  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Over 66%

Food systems

  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Land area size
    1245 acres

Guest Book

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

Location

  • Utah, United States

Riverbed Ranch Homesteading Community

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
Offer
  • Promoted
Offer
  • 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

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