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Scenic view of a community garden with houses and greenery in the background.

Villages at Crest Mountain

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Suburban

Founding year

  • 2009

What we do

4.5 miles from downtown Asheville…
The Villages at Crest Mountain is a comprehensive green-built community in Asheville, North Carolina, focusing on fellowship, sustainability, organic food production and green-building practices. This intentional, Eco-community encourages social interaction among its residents of diverse backgrounds and life-stages. The community is composed of two neighborhoods.
Inspired by the pocket neighborhood concept, the Meadow consists of 12 level acres with more than two acres of preserved green space in the center for gardens, edible landscaping, gathering and recreation for its residents to enjoy. The cottage-style homes are built on small homesites that emphasize well-defined personal space with minimal yard care while fostering a strong sense of community. Size of the homes in the Meadow start at 1,000 square feet and home/land packages start as low as $299,000 (including homesite).
The Orchard neighborhood is an additional 22 acres of ridgeline homesites perched above the Meadow. This neighborhood is elevated with views into the city of Asheville and contains mature hardwoods. Homesites in the Orchard are bigger, averaging around 1/4 acre, allowing for larger homes and yards that offer personal garden opportunities. Roads are paved and great views of the mountains and the city of Asheville are prominent. Custom-designed homes in the Orchard average around 2,500 square feet and start in the mid to upper $500,000s.
The Villages at Crest Mountain features certified green builders who offer homeplans, shown on the website, that are recommended based on the vision of the community. These plans can be adjusted to fit your needs and budget. Or, have one of our builders painstakingly custom design and build your mountain dream home. You can even bring your own plans and builder. The choice is yours.
When complete, The Villages at Crest Mountain will be home to more than 120 families. Currently, nearly 50 families have already built or are building their forever-after homes.
The Villages at Crest Mountain is a very active and welcoming community. Our Homeowners Association coordinates social activities, governance, community meals, food production, exercise opportunities, shared resources. We have nature trails, fruit trees, berry bushes and edible landscaping. We have cascading waterfalls, a community picnic and pavilion with views of Asheville and the mountains beyond.
We also have onsite vacation rentals, which we offer at discounted prices for our real estate guests.
VCM features:
*Stylish, healthy-built and energy efficient homes
*Two acres of central green space
*Community-wide rainwater harvesting
*Community walking trails, gardens, berry patches, orchards, vineyards, and edible landscaping
*South facing homesites for optimal solar orientation
*Active Homeowners Association
*Offering two distinct neighborhoods giving the option of smaller affordable homes adjacent to acres of green space and larger, elevated wooded homesites offering views and privacy. Call us today(828)-333-9725

Links:

Our Mission

Asheville Community Intentional Eco-Village

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Water conservation and management
  • Permaculture design
  • Activities
  • Property management

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2009
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2009
  • Started living together
  • 100 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
100

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Call the Villages at Crest Mountain for more information. 828-333-9725 or visit www.villagesatcrest.com We are available to tour and can also provide rentals if needed.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Decision-making process

  • Modified Consensus

Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

Developer driven unil 90% sold out
Advisory Board and HOA

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
  • There is a labor obligation
  • 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: Yes
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Common areas are maintained by HOA
Volunteer Basis
Initiation Fee of $1250 At Closing
HOA Dues of $60 per month

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

Garden(s)

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Community activities and engagement

  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • Other

Setting

  • Suburban

Residential areas outside city centers but within metropolitan regions.

Sustainability approach

  • Renewable energy systems
  • Water conservation and management
  • Permaculture design

Land practices in our community

  • The community practices permaculture

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Food systems

  • Community garden

Source of water

  • Rainwater capture and storage for use (barrels, cisterns, etc.)
  • Land area size
    36 acres

Guest Book

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

Location

  • North Carolina, United States

Villages at Crest Mountain

Needs and Offers

Explore the Marketplace
Offer
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  • Communities with Openings
1 month ago

Rooms in Beautiful Location in downtown East Austin

Mountain Laurel House has upcoming room openings on August 1 and September 1 to share our house in central East Austin close to downtown. Rent is $925 per month with $75 to cover your share of the utilities and maintenance. You provide your own food. We enjoy sharing a meal at the dining table at least once a month for fun, to check in on our lives, and talk about housekeeping together. To apply, email do*************@***il.com with subject line Room at Mountain Laurel House. Request the brief application questions and we’ll provide more info and answer your questions. Mountain Laurel House is in a great location! It’s on a green cul de sac, with a wooded lot to the southwest and a green open space to the west. It’s close to the East 11th & Rosewood dining and entertainment district and right across from the Carver Library and a bus stop. We’re in walking distance to downtown Austin, the State Capitol, Huston-Tillotson University and a short bike or bus ride to the University of Texas; and, south or east of here, Lady Bird Lake and Boggy Creek hike and bike trails, park lands, swimming pools, pickleball and basketball courts. I kayak on Town Lake aka Lady Bird Lake or swim just across downtown at Deep Eddy or Barton Springs fresh-water, spring-fed swimming pools. We enjoy sharing a meal at the dining table at least once a month for fun, to check in on our lives, and plan housekeeping together. HEB is a short 5 minute drive east on 7th St. and Whole Foods is about a ten minute walk from here on 5th St. Amenities in the house include a dishwasher, utility room with a clothes washer-dryer and an optional clothesline, high-speed internet, a big dining room table for meals or activities, and a large screen TV for movie nights. The yard has beautiful native wildlife habitat gardens, veggie and herb pots, a large Cedar Elm, two Live Oaks, a fruit-bearing Fig, a Champenelle grape vine, and a Chili pequin. The cul de sac is a large park-like
  • Promoted
Offer
  •
  • Communities with Openings
11 months ago

Study within the context of community living!

Camphill Academy offers practice-integrated postsecondary programs in Inclusive Social Development, with concentrations in Curative Education, Social Therapy, and Social Agriculture & Biodynamics. As a Camphill Academy student, you pay no tuition to begin earning college credit to transfer to a bachelor’s degree program at one of our partner universities. Enrollment is open for programs starting in the Fall of 2026! Visit www.camphill.edu for more information and to apply.
Offer
  •
  • Marketplace
6 years ago

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves Books for Sale

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant introduce Cohousing with stories and pictures of both Danish and American communities. Beautiful photographs and line drawings illustrate the warmly written account of how these communities came to be. Specific information on legal and financial aspects of working with developers, group process, and design issues make this book informative as well as inspiring. This is the book which brought Cohousing to North America. This book is the much prized second edition which has become a rarer and somewhat of a collectors item. Its community case studies were not included in the more recent publication. It preceded Creating Cohousing which is widely available. I acquired 25 cases from a local distributor who closed down. If you would like three or more copies for yourself, to share with your friends or to market your group, please let me know. I would love for them to be made useful and find great homes. Books are paperback (hard copy was not an option at the time from the publisher) all brand new, in Oakland (CA) so could be picked in Oakland or mailed to you. I would very much like to recuperate what I paid which is $10 per book. So, If you would like three or more shipped, I will add the postage, packing and handling fees. I have sold several cases (18 books per case) for $150 per case ($8 per book). I have a little wiggle room on the pricing. Please let me know if you are interested. Use the Send Message button on this page.
Need
  •
  • Communities with Openings
3 years ago

Twin Oaks, an established, income-sharing, village-scale community is seeking new members

Twin Oaks is looking for new members! Founded in 1967, Twin Oaks is an egalitarian, income-sharing community made currently 70 adults and 15 kids, living on 500 forested acres in central Virginia. Twin Oaks has strong social justice values including feminism, racial justice, and queer culture. We host a Queer Gathering and Women’s Gathering each summer, and we have a number of working groups around racial justice issues in general and in an intentional community context. Please visit our website twinoaks.org for more information and directions on how to apply for a Visitor Period. A Visitor Period is the first step towards becoming a member. We can offer: your choice of full-time work in our income-sharing community businesses (heirloom seeds, hammocks, and others) and/or domestic work areas from organic gardening to milking cows and cheese-making to office work to technical jobs and more! an individual room in shared housing; each member has their own personal bedroom and shares a kitchen, living room and bathroom with others in their house. Each residence has its own culture and range of ages. all meals are provided in our communal dining hall and/or in smaller kitchens for individual eating. We generally accommodate all special diets. (gluten-free, vegan, no garlic, etc.) income-sharing includes health-care and monthly stipend for extra We are looking for: people with various life skills and/or a willingness to learn people who share our values of social justice, sustainability and living closely with a diversity of people people with a generally responsible and pro-active approach to community living experience or interest in non-hierarchical, shared decision-making BIPOC, women and non-binary people especially encouraged The first step towards becoming a member is to participate in one of
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