Membership

The following is an aspirational first draft and subject to evolution as the community grows. While we need financial contributions in order to build infrastructure, the community structure and legal form (co-op) will take shape as members agree by consensus.

 

This project aims to create a community of people living together in small homes and sharing common elements. The community will be co-created by its members, sharing ideas, expenses, community service and physical space. We will build together a space where we can be our authentic selves while experiencing the benefits and challenges of sharing stewardship of land and each other's company.

The community will be built in stages, beginning with basic infrastructure, then accessibility features, then amenities. Funds for materials will come through membership fees, allowing the community to share the expenses required to set up and taking advantage of the economic benefits that come with projects of scale. Rather than every family or person putting in their own well, septic, driveway and clearing land, we will share water and sewer lines, level and put down roads and driveways at once, and have the option to volunteer to help learn by doing as we build the systems our homes will rely on together.

Once we have basic infrastructure able to support people living legal and (reasonably) comfortably on the land, as paid for by founding members, we will be able to offer increasingly flexible terms to pay the membership fee.

Resident Membership Fee

• $15,000 (with some sliding scale/over time options). The resident member fee is mandatory for each member household and contributes toward the cost of making the land suitable to sustain human life and community.
• There will be 21 resident member shares in the community. A resident member may be an individual, a family or a group living together. Each resident member contributes an equal share towards the construction and maintenance of the community through membership, paid once, and maintenance, paid monthly or annually, fees.
• There are 20 available memberships which will be available for release in stages coinciding with the community development plan. (Jasmine who donated the land is the 21st member)

Stage 1 - Founder Members

• Stage 1 will be a release of 7 Founder memberships, with up to 16 Founder memberships available.
• Stage 1 Founders members will pay no maintenance fees for 5 years (unless they agree in the future by consensus to contribute earlier)
• Stage 1 infrastructure will begin once the ground is able to be worked in Spring 2024. It will include a well, common septic tank, pumps, extension of hydro into the property (or solar/batteries as by consensus), and lines to each lot. Stage 1 provides 17 housing lots.
• Stage 1 Founders contribute at least $105,000 towards building the community in the first year.
  • If we do not have 7 members for the stage 1 release (who are able to pay the fee that will fund stage 1 infrastructure) by 2025, the community will likely not go ahead as planned, as we require the funding to make the property livable.

Stage 2 - Builder Members

• Stage 2 is a release of 7 memberships with an upfront cost of $10,000 and $250 for 20 months.
• Stage 2 members will pay no maintenance fees for 3 years.
• Stage 2 infrastructure will continue road work, installing hard surfaces and accessibility features.
• Stage 2 Supports contribute at least $70,,000 in the first year, and $35,000 by mid-2025.

Stage 3 - Community Members

• Stage 3 is a release of 6 memberships where members pay $250 monthly towards their membership for 60 months. This release is geared to potential community members with a lower or fixed income.
• Stage 3 members will pay no maintenance fees for 1 year. Community members should be financially prepared to contribute equally to maintenance fees after their second year of residence. Expect maintenance fees of $200-$400 during years 2-5 as the community builds its resources.
• Stage 3 prepares to build community and non-profit funded common buildings, such as the community centre (with shared kitchen, lounge, laundry, offices, gym and showers) and workshop. We will seek funding and host fundraising events to offset member costs for these amenities.
• Stage 3 Community members provide $1500 monthly, $18,000 a year during the first five years, and $90,000 cumulatively towards building the community.

Supporting Membership

• $10.00 per month or $120 per year.
• Access to our monthly newsletter, detailing progress, events, news and community-related topics.
• Invitation to our member-only in-person and online events, workshops and trainings.
• Ability to temporarily stay in the community for $10/day (tent, dry trailer with no hookups)

In-kind work trades

• Up to 10% or appropriately $30,000 in work may be provided by community members as partial contribution towards the membership fee at a comparable rate agreed on by member consensus.
• Work trades for phases 1 and 2 are primarily related to construction. In phase 3, we will begin to roll out ongoing skill shares where many additional skills will be needed in accordance with our sharing economy.

Donations

• Financial, service and material donations are welcome and will be permanently recognized on a physical object within the community.

Lots

• Each lot will have approximately 2400 square feet (30’x80’, or what would typically be called a ‘triple wide mobile home lot’). Lots may be different dimensions and will be allocated on a first-come basis.
• Tiny homes on wheels, trailers and mini homes up to 50’ allowed.
• Sheds, greenhouses and outbuildings up to 200 square feet per lot.
• Raised beds, compacted level home/trailer parking and gravel driveway will be provided by the community.

Membership fee verses Maintenace Fee

• The membership fee is a one-time cost for each member household to join the community. It pays for land clearing, construction of roads, and installation of power, water and sewer systems. All members must pay the membership fee to be eligible to live in the community.
• Maintenance fees are member contributions towards shared expenses outside of construction. Each year, the community members will meet and discuss a budget for the following year. The budgeted amount would be divided equally among the 21 members, who may pay towards that budget monthly, annually or at another agreed on cadence. Maintenance fees will cover things like repairs, new projects/buildings/amenities, taxes/insurance, power for common amenities, and other things as agreed on by members. All members must contribute towards maintenance fees to remain in the community.

Housing

Membership includes the ability to live on the community property full time, however, does not include housing. Members will be responsible to provide their own livable housing in the form of a RV, camper trailer, tiny house built on a trailer, or mini home on a trailer.

We aim to work with local mini and tiny home builders to provide affordable new housing to community members. In the future, we may form our own tiny home construction company to offer housing to others while providing interested members a way of supporting themselves.

Self-built housing

Members may build their home on site provided it is trailered. Members may not build a structure of any size for sleeping purposes on a temporary or permanent foundation.

In the future, permanent structures may be permitted but only after consultation and permitting by local authorities. Permanent structures fall under guidelines for building codes and zoning, and all decisions relating to this should be done with careful consideration for our reputation locally, environmental concerns, building for the long term and with respect for other members.