Shadowlake Village :: Communities Directory

Formed: 1998 Established: 2002

This page last updated:11/24/2012

Shadowlake Village

Blacksburg, Virginia,

United States

We are a cohousing community of 33 households, located on 33 acres in a beautiful natural setting in the town of Blacksburg, in the mountains of southwest Virginia on a ridge between the Blue Ridge and the Appalachians.

Most members moved in during 2002-2004, with complete buildout in 2005. Our Common House is built. We include families with young children and/or teenage children, couples, and singles. Membership has been by self-selection.

Our guiding values include:

• a commitment to have a supportive and enriching community that fosters connection with each other, the larger community, and the Earth;

• living in harmony with ecological systems;

• creating a balance between private life and community life;

• encouraging diversity in membership; and

• working to create and maintain creative and positive relationships through consensus decision making, open dialogue, and creative conflict resolution.

In addition to our own 17 acres of undisturbed woods, we're adjacent to a 169-acre park that is an old farmstead, and we're near a walking/biking trail into a national forest.

As we develop our policies, guidelines, and norms, we strive for mutually respectful ways towards consensus, and we also remember to have fun and enjoy the rewards of living in community.

Website: http://www.shadowlakevillage.org/

Contact:

Michael Barrett
1708 Sage Lane
Blacksburg, Virginia 24060 United States
Phone: 540-641-2419

Community location is placed at the center of the zip/postal code, city/state, or city/country (not based on street addresses)

Former/Other Names: New River Valley Cohousing

This page last updated:11/24/2012

Visitors Accepted

(with advance notice)

Visitor Process: Contact us by phone, or preferably email, and arrange a mutually convenient time to visit.

Affiliations: Shadowlake Village

Network Affiliations:

Coho/US

:: Mid-Atlantic Cohousing (MAC)

Statement of Housing Non-discrimination:

Our community does not discriminate in regards to housing based on race/color, national origin, religion, sex/gender, family status (i.e. having children, not having children, or being pregnant), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source of income, age, creed, personal appearance, political affiliation, HIV infection, military/veteran status, unfavorable military discharge, gender identity or expression, receiving public assistance, or being the victim of domestic abuse.

Population Members(adults and children): 68 Non-member Residents: 11 Open to new members: Yes (Only when someone sells their home.)	Government Decision Making: By consensus Identified Leader: No Leadership Core Group: No	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Labor Contribution: Expected (The norm is 6-8 hours/month of work-share, but there is no actual requirement.) Join Fee: No (No entry fee, but you must buy a home to be a member.) Regular Fees: Yes (Monthly Homeowners Association dues.)
Land and Buildings Other (Medium-sized college town in semi-rural region.) Area: 33 acres (13.4 hectares) Land Owned By: Individual community member(s) (You own your home & lot and an equal share of the Common Property.) Number of Residences: 33 (mix of townhouse, duplex, detached) Cohousing: Yes	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% (We have common gardens, but grow and harvest individual plots for the most part. Some members are now working toward growing more of our food.) Share Community Meals: 2-5 times/week ((Twice a week is our norm.)) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (Prepared meals, if not vegetarian, usually have a veg option - the cooks decide. You can bring whatever you like to potluck meals.) Alcohol Use: Used occasionally (It's up to the individual.) Tobacco Use: Seldom used (Not in common spaces. Nearly all current residents are NS.)	Social Factors Common Spiritual Practices: No Which Spiritual Traditions(s): (lots of UUs here) Educational Style(s): Other (It's up to each family to decide.)

Cohousing Details

Cohousing Status:

Completed

Year Completed:

2005

Number of Units:

Square Feet in Common House:

5500

Architect:

Bob Rogers, Architectural Alternatives, Blacksburg, VA

Developer:

Ourselves as an LLC together with Community Housing Partners Corporation, Christiansburg, VA. We built as we sold until we had enough cash flow to build half-sold duplexes-- all the unsold halves were purchased while being built.

Commercial Lender:

Individual loans, plus a development loan from the Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises (FAHE).

Click an image to see it full size.

Become an Editor Current editor(s): shadowlake24060, xmonday, slv32

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