We’re in the process of developing a membership plan!  As with many things that require consent, it’s slow going.  Here’s our status as of Fall, 2023:

TLDR – Too long? Don’t read!

Fill out the form above.  We’ll setup an introductory zoom to introduce ourselves and answer questions.

Ready for some reading?  Here’s a little more to show you what we’re thinking about for our membership process:

The first step is to contact us, by email, through our website, or come to one of our in-person events. You will be invited to attend an Introductory Presentation, which will usually be on Zoom, and occasionally in-person when we have an event. Following the presentation, complete a Visitor Registration Form for your household, and start attending our weekly meetings as a Visitor to learn more about our project.

As a Visitor to our group, you will be able to get to know the other people, learn about our plans, participate in our meetings, and join in our planning/organizing/development activities. You will also be invited to any in-person events like potlucks or site tours. This is a time to learn about cohousing and ecovillages in general.  It’s also a time learn about sociocracy, which is the system of governance that we are implementing. Further, it’s a time to learn about non-violent communication, an important tool for people living together in a community. 

We anticipate that the Visitor stage will normally last between 3 to 6 months. We believe that people need to have time to get to know us and to consider if this project is right for them, before making any financial commitment. During the time you are a Visitor, keep track of your meeting attendance and learning activities on this Explorer Application Form.

After 3-6 months as a Visitor, the next step is to decide whether you want to become an Explorer or a Friend. The difference between these two categories is your intent.  If your plan is to help build this community with the intent to move into this community as a future resident, you would become an Explorer. If you decide that you would like to be involved in creating this community but are not currently planning to move in as a resident, you would become a Friend. Send an email to someone on the Membership Work Group/Circle requesting a meeting, and include the link to your copy of the Explorer Application Form or the Friend Application Form. Your meeting with the Membership Work Group/Circle will be an opportunity to ask and answer questions and clarify any issues.

If you become an Explorer, you will start paying non-refundable dues of $100 per household per quarter. The date of your first dues payment will be your official date for priority for home selection, as long as you move on to Full Member status within 6 weeks of that option becoming available. Your quarterly dues as an Explorer will apply to the Full Member Fee if you decide to join. Friends will pay dues of $30 per quarter. These dues are non-refundable, but would apply to the Full Member Fee if you later decided to join.

 Sometime in the next several months of 2023, we expect to make a decision about our legal and financial structure, which will determine the requirements and procedures for becoming a Full/Equity Member. We are currently considering the pros and cons of becoming a Condominium Association, a Limited Equity Cooperative, a Land Trust, or a non-profit corporation. 

We offer flexibility if your circumstances don’t fit into our process. The Friend status is  a way to stay involved and in touch for people who aren’t ready to be Explorers, and we’re also open to making exceptions for other situations. Contact the Membership Work Group/Circle with any questions.  We have put more detailed information about membership questions in the website’s FAQ tab.

And for those who can’t live without spreadsheets, below is a table that will give you an idea of the privileges and responsibilities that we envision for different levels of membership: