Affordable CoHousing with Homesteading Focus
NOTE: As of winter 2025, we have THREE home-sites left. Our membership process is currently on pause to new people in order to give our community some time to get to know the people currently starting the membership process. If you are interested in exploring membership here, please take a moment to join our “interest list“. We’ll then let you know if/when our membership process re-opens in the future.
NOTE: We CANNOT accommodate requests for overnight accommodations or camping. Additionally, we do not offer volunteer or intern opportunities.
We are a group of people from various walks of life building a sustainable neighborhood on 120 acres in Danby, New York, just outside of Ithaca.
We are currently twenty households living in private homes at White Hawk with additional homes under construction and more in the pipeline. When completed, we will have 30 homes sitting on approximately 10 of our 120 acres of farm, field, and forest. All new residents must plan on leasing a lot from the community and building their own home. The fee to lease a lot is $40,000. Homes can typically be built for about $200/ s.f.
We have monthly meetings, use consensus decision-making, and encourage creativity and joyful neighborhood life as we strive to work respectfully with the land to meet as many of our needs as possible. We aim to make our community affordable to all.
Members are free to design their own homes, and are not constrained to a few models selected by a developer. We provide economical and sustainable suggestions for those who would prefer more guidance. Any build style that meets town code, up to and including natural building such as straw bale, cob, cordwood, Earthship or dome would be welcome. The lots are in a circular form around our common circle and a planned common house.
Our community represents a diversity of ages and ethnic backgrounds. We look forward to welcoming new skills, ideas and talents, with the goal of passing down a thriving and resilient village to our children and their children. We envision a homesteading village in which as many of our needs as possible are met right here on our land. We are moving in that direction through personal and community gardens, permaculture projects, an orchard, animal husbandry (over the years we’ve had chickens, ducks, rabbits, horses, pigs, turkeys, sheep, guinea hens and bees) and respectfully using the natural resources we have on the land (through such activities as maple tapping, hunting and wild plant foraging).
Recreating on the land is important to us as well. We have three ponds, a few miles of trails, woods, a playground for the kids, streams to splash in, community garden, and a fire-pit. We enjoy a vibrant culture of sharing, gift-giving, reciprocity, ritual-building, care, and fun. Children are a major part of our everyday life here and we do our best to create a community where children are seen, held, supported and a part of the community.
We are “on the grid” with electric, gas, phone and internet, but some residents are moving toward off-grid independence. We encourage home-based businesses and bartering between residents to build local resilience.
Just a stone throw away from the charm of Ithaca, White Hawk is an amazing & supportive community for children and adults to grow, learn, and explore together!
We seek to be an affordable, resilient homesteading village focused on sustainability and community.
Please complete our interest list if you are curious about exploring membership –> https://tally.so/r/3yEMD6
The process to full White Hawk membership is multi-tiered, with the goal of building a home (or, occasionally, purchasing one) to live year-round in. There are three steps to the process, with the first two requiring a non-refundable fee of $1000, 3-6 months of engaging with the community, and finally a closed-door community decision to ensure a good fit. Once these required steps have been taken and the potential member is approved by the community, they can lease a lot for $40,000. Once an individual holds a lot lease, they are a full White Hawk member and are free to build the home of their choice (so long as it meets local code and White Hawk guidelines).
Think we might be a good fit? Fill out this form here and we will be in touch with you!
https://tally.so/r/3yEMD6
Please also check out our website at https://whitehawkecovillage.org
Please note that we cannot accommodate overnight and camping requests. We also cannot accommodate volunteers or interns.
The whole membership decides collectively.
Everyone must agree before moving forward.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
Steering Committee
with fallback voting
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Join fee: $40000
Regular fees: $190
Labor: Encouraged or suggested (2 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Members must be able to finance the building of their homes.
We expect the labor contribution to be about 8 hours per month, though this varies based on individual circumstances and is highly flexible.
$1000 membership fee is required, including a non-refundable $250 application fee. Cost of leasing a lot to build a home is $40,000. Cost of building a home starts around $180/square foot.
Share of community expenses plus taxes
Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Swimming pond or pool, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Internet
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.
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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