Village Terraces Cohousing Neighborhood

Black Mountain, North Carolina, United States

Last updated: January 1, 2019 (3 seconds ago)
Listing created on: February 1, 2005

Mission Statement

Neighborhood Cooperation

Community Description

Village Terraces is a neighborhood within Earthaven Ecovillage. Our vision is to create extended family and a deep connectedness to the earth, ourselves, and each other. As the first cohousing group at Earthaven, we are building and living densely in order to share resources, including extensive common space, facilities, and utilities. Of our envisioned four buildings we have built two, which house about twenty residents, including children. We will eventually share the neighborhood with 24 to 30 adults plus children.

The cohousing style provides “apartments” that can include private kitchenettes and baths, with the added benefit of shared common spaces such as a large common kitchen and bath, common gardens, orchards, and a pasture for dairy animals. We also have access to Earthaven’s Council Hall and other community facilities, as well as shared use of most of Earthaven’s 329 acres. Our legal entity is a housing cooperative.

We share all of Earthaven’s ecological and spirit-guided values and agreements. In addition, the following values are particularly important to us:

• A desire to raise children together in a neighborhood and village context.
• Honest and responsible communication with an active willingness to resolve conflicts in a healthy manner.
• A commitment to consciously and lovingly raising both plants and animals for food.
• Love and acceptance of ourselves, our bodies, and the cycles of life and death.
• Cooperative living in common-walled buildings built with local materials.

To learn more about the process of joining Village Terraces, read our Initial Contact Letter on our website.

Joining Village Terraces Neighborhood means being a part of Earthaven Ecovillage. Please explore the village through our website, a tour, and extended visits.

About

Type(s): Cohousing (individual homes within group owned property), Shared Housing, Cohouseholding, or Coliving (multiple individuals sharing a dwelling)

Location: Rural

Housing

Status: We have land we have developed on

Area: 12 acres

Current Residence Types: Multi-family homes, Room(s) in a house or building

Current Number of Residences: 9

Planned number of residences: 2

Planned Residence Types: Multi-family homes

Housing Provided: Purchase, Rental

Land owned by: Village Terraces Housing Cooperative

Additional Comments:
Earthaven is on 329 acres, Village Terraces Housing Cooperative is on 12 acres.

The Cohousing Neighborhood is planning a total of three or four buildings to house 30 people. We have currently finished two buildings. We currently have 9 units and plan to grow.

Membership

Adult Members: 8

Child Members: 5

Non-member Residents: 10

Percent Women: 51-60%

Percent Men: 41-49%

Percent Transgender: 0%

Visitors accepted: Yes, rarely

Visitor Process:
Please visit Earthaven’s website at www.earthaven.org and make sure that this sounds like a place you are interested in. Tours are offered on alternating Saturday mornings by reservation. To contact Earthaven for a tour, please make an appointment through email at [email protected] If you are interested specifically in Village Terraces, we offer selected tours; please fill out the Guest Application on our website as the next step.

Open to new Members: Yes

Additional Comments:
We tend to be recognizers of seasonal changes and are also supportive of personal growth.

Homeschooling with an on-land supplementation program. Older children usually also study in town.

Government

Decision Making: Consensus (everyone agrees)

Identified Leader: No

Leadership Core Group: No

Economics

Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: Yes

Regular Fee per Month: $200

Shared Income: None

Required Labor Contribution per Week: 1

Additional Comments:
maybe

Yearly Maintenance and one time administrative fee of $4000 paid through labor over time. Also, Earthaven has a labor requirement as well and since we’re part of Earthaven, that would apply.

Membership fee to Earthaven ($8,000). No joining fee for the neighborhood but members must purchase a unit which includes fees for all common owned infrastructure.

There are utility and maintenance fees for common property. We also have a garden cooperative, washing machine cooperative and others that are strictly optional.

Sustainability Practices

Energy Infrastructure: We are totally off grid.

Current renewable energy generation: Almost All, around 90%

Energy sources: Solar, Hydro-Electric

Planned renewable energy generation: 100%

Current food produced: Up to 25%

Planned food produced: Up to 25%

Food produced locally: Between 26-49%

Lifestyle

Common Facilities: Common House, Garden(s), Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit

Internet Available: Yes, individuals provide it

Internet Fast?: Yes, it’s fine.

Cell Phone Service: Not good for most people.

Shared meals: Rarely

Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (plants and animals), Paleo (no grains, dairy, processed foods, or legumes), Local (food sourced within 150 miles), Organic (no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers), GMO Free (only non-genetically modified organisms), Gluten-Free

Dietary Choice or Restrictions: No – people may eat however they wish.

Special Diets OK: Sometimes

Alcohol Use: Yes, used occasionally.

Tobacco Use: Yes, used seldomly, or ceremoniously.

Additional Diet Comments:
Large garden, eggs, orchards, some dairy.

We’re all very excited about Nourishing Traditions which embraces a wide range of choices.

We are all regular meat eaters.

We enjoy wine with group dinners.

There are no smokers in our group.

Common Spiritual Practice(s): Ecumenical (accepts all religions or spiritual practices), Not a particularly spiritual or religious community, Paganism or Earth Religions, Eclectic (integrates pieces from many religions)