Intentional Communities - A Project of the FIC
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Forming Formed: 2005
Caer Coburn
Rockingham, Vermont,
United States
Caer Coburn Logo
 Would you like to live...
surrounded by Nature?
in a small traditional village?
within a private park?
within Hundreds of acres of
Vermont woodland?
with easy access to town, the interstate and cities beyond?
Then join us in creating Caer Coburn, A Traditional Village based upon ideas of co-housing and intentional communities located in Rockingham, Vermont.
We have passed the 1st step in the Permit process. Our Engineered Design was approved by the Rockingham Zoning Board.
The site is 100-125 acres of beautiful woodlands on the side of a mountain with great solar capabilities, Williams River frontage, 2 brooks with waterfalls, pond sites, wetlands, and a 5 acre agricultural field.
We are approved for 20 individual units (building lots), a Common House, a community barn, and a quiet Meeting House in the New England tradition clustered on approximately 10-15 acres. The rest will be a 5 acre agricultural field & preserved wilderness & trails.
Members can design & build, or have built for themselves, their own houses so that they can control how much they want to spend. There are some limits: houses must fit into the landscape or be a traditional New England design and for now, a maximum size limit of 2500 square feet of livable space as defined by the Rockingham Zoning Laws.
We are looking for energy efficient houses that are not mini-mansions to be part of our community.
We are excited about living in this beautiful setting just a few miles away from Bellows Falls, Vermont and within easy driving distance to Boston and New York. The idea of living more simply in a cooperative setting and preserving the beauty of our Vermont surroundings while operating more efficiently is very appealing.
Besides our Vision & Values Statement (which can be found on our website), here are some possible ideas we would like to have: finding agreement, sense of community, peace & quiet, participation, all ages, handicapped accessible, high level of acceptance & respect, shared space, resources, equipment & tools.
We don't want: being micromanaged, drug/alcohol abuse (alcohol in moderation is fine), abuse in general, being pigeonholed, too thematic, exclusive or elitist.
We’d like:
1. Common House and surrounding area: central laundry, quiet space, child free zone, Stage & dressing rooms, Kitchen, dining room, porch,fireplace, hot tub, pool, yoga/exercise/dojo, music & play rooms, guest space, bathroom, shower, mail, library, swap corner, barbecue, playground
2. Outdoors: animals, gardens (community vegetable, herb, flower), orchard, parking, labyrinth, storage space
3. Services: Internet, rubbish removal, recycling, general & road maintenance, plowing.
None of these are engraved in stone, they can be changed or added to as time goes on and finances permit.
The Caer Coburn parcel is part of 800+ acres of mountain woodland and wetlands. There are 2 individual homes (1 is occupied and 1 is still under construction) and 4-5 lots owned by others on the larger property. They are outside & away from the well buffered Caer Coburn parcel. Most of the 800+ acres will be left as common area with possibilities for lots of recreational activities by all of the residents living on the 800+ acres.
Membership fees and payment plans can be found on our website. The first 10 members get an early bird special and save $20,000.00 by joining now. There are only 4 of the Early Bird memberships left, so contact me today about joining.
  Status: Property Optioned, First Stage of Permits approved
Contact:
Stuart Joseph
36 Front St.
Bellows Falls, Vermont 05101 United States
Phone: 802-463-1954
Email This Community!
Last Updated:4/8/2008
 
Visitors Accepted
Visitor Process: Call or e-mail the Project director, Stuart Joseph, to schedule a tour to visit the site or attend a meeting. Meetings and tours are also listed on our website.
Population
Adult Members:
0
(None. we are still forming and have 11 Adult members in 6 Households)
Child Members:
0
(We are still forming and have 2 Children members)
Non-member Residents:
(None. as we are still forming)
Open to new adults:
Yes
Open to new children:
Yes
Open to which gender(s):
All genders welcome
Age Focus:
No Focus
Age Restrictions:
No
Government
Decision Making:
By consensus
Identified Leader:
No
Leadership Core Group:
Yes
(current members are core group)
Labor and Money
Financial Style:
Members have independent finances
Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt:
Yes
(Who doesn't these days?)
Labor Contribution:
(Not at this time)
Join Fee:
Yes
(Membership fees are determined by when people join Caer Comburn and will apply towards land ownership)
Regular Fees:
Yes
(Membership Fees are paid over time. There will be future maintanence fees)
Land and Buildings
Rural
Area:
100 acres (40.5 hectares)
(Acreage will be 100-125, actual area will be determined after survey)
Land Owned By:
The community
(house lots are owned individually, rest of property is owned by the group)
Number of Residences:
20
(Planned for and approved by Zoning in Engineer's design)
Cohousing:
Yes
(We are more of a traditional village with aspects of co-housing and intentional community)
Food, etc.
Percentage of Food Grown:
none
(We will have community garden space)
Share Community Meals:
Rarely
(Still forming, would like to at least meet monthly)
Dietary Choice or Restrictions:
Diet is up to each individual
Dietary Practice:
Omnivorous
(Diet is up to each individual)
Alcohol Use:
Used occasionally
Tobacco Use:
Seldom used
(up to each individual, prohibited in common areas)
Social Factors
Open to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender members:
Yes
Restrictions on Romantic Relationships (between consenting adults):
No
Shared Spiritual Path:
No
Educational Style(s):
Other
(Up to the Parents)
Cohousing Details
Cohousing Status:
Site Optioned
(Caer Coburn will buy the property when permits are issued)
Number of Units:
We are approved for 20 Single Family Residences on lots of about 1/3 acre each. Homes will be clustered on about 15 acres within our parcel among wetlands, near brooks, waterfalls, and trails. The Number of house lots was determined by our engineer and approved by the Rockingham Zoning Board.
Architect:
The preliminary work and design was done by Stevens and Associates in Brattleboro VT. They are also doing the final design and engineering work.
Developer:
We and the land owner are co-developing Caer Coburn, LLC
 
 
Caer Coburn Logo
Caer Coburn's Waterfall
Click an image to see it full size.


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