Altair EcoVillage … 2023 Year in Review
(below is adapted from Project Management Report #17 by Joel Bartlett)
During 2023 we experienced something of a lull in site development. But at the same time it was a year of member consolidation and document review as we worked toward obtaining our township approvals and expanding our investor base. Looking forward, toward attracting additional funding to advance the project, in the spring of 2024 we expect to hold a second Getting It Built Workshop™ targeted to potential investors where we’ll show our finalized site plan, home designs, and Common House plans. Stay tuned for an announcement, because the public will be encouraged to attend.
Meanwhile, here are some of the highlights of 2023:
Socials: We toured Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, met at a Harvest Festival at Yeager’s Farm, toasted each other at our Kimberton Cidery, and who could forget our medicinal weed walk around our site with Martha Napolitan?! Additionally, we enjoyed a dinner/dance at Peppers in King of Prussia, a movie night, and a visit to First Friday Phoenixville. Our biggest gathering of the year was a trip to Ithaca EcoVillage in conjunction with the EcoVillageNJ Meetup group and members of the Rachel Carson EcoVillage project.
Members: We had some new joiners but also some folks who had to move on from Altair membership. The latter is regrettable but not surprising given the lull in site development work and the increase of projected prices of the homes as the economy fluctuates. Despite our decrease in numbers, we are thankful that a core group of eight households remains strong and that we have a new Trailblazer family and several prospects in the wings.
New investment funds: We were pleased that in November a long-time supportive family did come through with a generous investment in our project. This investment allows us to continue with our site development work and the township approvals process. We are optimistic that “money attracts money,” and renewed progress will be a positive sign of reduced financial risk. Many thanks to our new investor family!
Legal stuff: We had opportunity to review and edit our Bylaws, our Investment Agreement, our Rental Policy, and our application to the IRS for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)4 Association. 2024 should be the year to confirm/finalize all of these documents and move on to the Homeowners Association legal work.
Care and Counsel: This Circle confirmed that we honor each other’s contributions and respect and acknowledge our differences. It produced a Guidelines for Community Participation document (formally adopted by the Community Life Circle). We also recognized the issue of Aging in Community, and this has been a major emphasis in discussions. It was relevant when one of our beloved members went into the hospital, then rehab, and then passed away. We have created a strong circle of support and empathy around the family — all of this well before we are actually living together.
Healthy-living Circle: It is clear that those with environmental sensitivities have limited options within the housing market and face expense challenges when it comes to healthy homes. We hope to have at least four units in our “healthy-living cluster.” We continue to refine what will be standard features in our buildings and what will be “extra.” The Circle has turned its attention to highlighting the categories of what a healthy community should include. This has become a major marketing feature for our ecovillage.
Gathering allies: Altair has joined the Mid-Atlantic Cohousing organization (”MAC” … http://www.MidAtlanticCohousing.org) and now holds a seat on their board. MAC supports communities up and down the east coast, acting as a resource for forming, building and extant communities. We received valued assistance from board member Ann Zabaldo, a co-founder of MAC, who helped us create an educational and informational national presentation on Zoom in June. Additionally, we have attracted numerous friends and colleagues who are following our work. For example, folks we met at the first Chester County Sustainability Workshop have indicated that they’re willing to work with us, when we’re ready, on potential grants, consulting, and outreach.
Process work: As we gather more members, we’ll be checking in with our consultants at Sociocracy for All for refresher courses in facilitation and Dynamic Governance techniques.
Professional consultants: We’ve been busy renegotiating contracts and reassessing our team. We’ve brought on Nave Newell Associates in the key role of site engineer. All our consultants are now on board and ready to hit the ground running during 2024!
Financial realities: Harsh as it may seem, our projected prices have increased almost 75% since we last considered home pricing several years ago. This is the current guesstimate per our Pro Forma (a document of income and expenses, both soft and hard costs). In addition, interest rates are high at the moment, but they’re unpredictable. Suffice it to say, the prices of all the homes in the neighborhood (and the homes our members will be selling to support their Altair mortgages) have been going up. What the state of the economy and the inflation will be at our point of home marketing is not possible to determine for certain. Meanwhile, the fact is that Kimberton house prices remain below the average in Chester County, so we feel an Altair home purchase will be a good investment. “Affordable?” No, and we’ve stopped using that word, but “market rate,” Yes. Perhaps the construction costs and the unit prices will level out when we’re ready to build (possibly a year or so from now).
Spreading the word: In 2023 we made significant strides in terms of marketing. We sat at tables at the Phoenixville Farmers Market, had site tours/orientations for prospective members, invited folks to socials, went national with information sessions, posted magazine ads, and our contract developer put out a prospectus to several potential “eco-investors.” Altair members are not in any way professional marketers, so we’re expanding the marketing budget to bolster our efforts.
Miscellaneous notes:
* Our Land Circle continued to attend classes — composting, woods management, community garden research. And we had several work parties — culling invasives, caring for native saplings, sprucing up the trails. We mowed the main field in such a way as to show where the major buildings and pathways will be. Members are preparing for a Landscaping Charrette. Becoming familiar with the intricacies of the land at this point will give us a head-start re: landscape work when we move in.
* We have two new neighbors occupying properties adjacent to our own. We’ll be reaching out to meet and greet them, toward discussing mutual landscaping efforts. One is a young family on the property next door to our future boulevard; they’re very much horticulturists!
* We’re anticipating working soon with new interns; they could help us with the SITES initiative, administration, marketing, and our ride-sharing plans.
So that’s a wrap on 2023. Overall, we’re confident that 2024 will be a year of exciting accomplishments and forward progress for Altair!
