Cool Creek Cooperative Neighborhood

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Established
  • Rural

What we do

Cool Creek Cooperative Neighborhood is located just south of the village of Mesa, Colorado, on the north slope of Grand Mesa 33 miles east of Grand Junction. It is an area characterized by stunning natural beauty and diversity, fresh air, abundant water, and easy access to public land.

 

In 2012 a group of friends began discussing ideas for a neighborhood that embraced the qualities of the area but envisioned a different way of living there. A vision took shape that combined the best characteristics of rural living with the value of a highly functional community – natural beauty, environmental quality, and neighbors who care about the common good, sharing resources and working together so that everyone can live more simply and sustainably. This common vision led to a plan to create Cool Creek, a cooperative neighborhood that would offer a healthy balance between personal life and the benefits of community.

 

The neighborhood is situated on a 9½ acre parcel of land. There are 10 private lots that collectively occupy approximately 2½ acres of the parcel. Adjacent to the house lots there is a common area of approximately 1½ acres where various shared resources (gardens, orchards, tools, multi-purpose building) will be located. The remainder of the land (~5½ acres) will be left as open land to be enjoyed by all residents. Mesa Creek runs through the property, creating a rich riparian area that provides a wonderful place to walk, cool off, and listen to the sounds of moving water and wildlife.

 

Cool Creek is surrounded by a diverse landscape that includes pasture lands, scrub woodlands, forests, wetlands and streams. The area is home to a wide variety of wildlife and relatively few people. From the neighborhood there are panoramic views in all directions, highlighted by Grand Mesa, Castle Rock, and the Roan Cliffs. The neighborhood is near the village of Mesa (walking distance), while also being close (a few minutes’ drive) to Powderhorn ski area and Grand Mesa, described as “the world’s largest flat top mountain”.

 

While Cool Creek offers many outstanding physical qualities and recreational opportunities, it offers something more vital and increasingly rare in today’s world – the opportunity to participate in a cooperative community, where neighbors work together and share resources so that each person can live more fully and sustainably.

Our Vision

Create and sustain a neighborhood that respects individuality, provides the strength of community, and thrives through cooperation.

Our Mission

Create and sustain a neighborhood that respects individuality, provides the strength of community, and thrives through cooperation.

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • 12 Total members
  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
12

How to join

Please contact Cool Creek Neighborhood Association for further information.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Please contact Cool Creek Neighborhood Association to schedule a visit.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: Yes (amount not specified)
Monthly fees/dues: Yes (amount not specified)
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
There is an annual assessment used to pay for necessities (property taxes, insurance, and maintenance on community owned land and facilities) and any improvements to community land and resources that are desired by the lot owners (plantings, tool acquisition, community building improvements, etc.). The annual budget is determined at a neighborhood meeting each January, with the assessment being the budget amount divided equally among the lots.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit

Property status

  • Privately owned

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

  • Land area size
    19 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Colorado, United States

Cool Creek Cooperative Neighborhood

Promoted Needs and Offers

Need
Need
  • Communities with Openings
6 months ago

Join us in the mountains of Western North Carolina

Coweeta Heritage Center/Talking Rock Farm is located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Coweeta is located in a beautiful and diverse temperate rain forest. It feels very remote here yet we are just 12 miles from Franklin, NC. Winters can be mild. Coweeta is blessed with springs and a stream, pristine forests, and abundant wildlife. Power is provided by a hydro-electric system which is not connected to the grid. An organic garden and trout pond provide healthy food that is also shared with the local community. Hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities are just out the back door. Coweeta is looking for others who would like to join together to form an Intentional Community embracing the principles of Voluntary Simplicity. Simply put (no pun intended): We wish “to live simply so that others may simply live.” It is a recognition that nature provides us with valuable services and resources that we can use to enrich our lives. Utilizing local resources, appropriate technology, and working cooperatively, we can discover creative ways to meet our needs as “directly and simply as possible.”. An example of this, in the tradition of many Indigenous People”, is to gather, and use wildcrafted foods as part of our diet. There is great joy in going to nature’s grocery for our sustenance. Voluntary Simplicity is based on the recognition that “very little is needed to live well” and that “abundance is a state of mind.” Living lower on the economic ladder allows us more time and freedom to pursue other life goals: community and social engagement, family time, artistic or intellectual projects, more fulfilling employment, political participation, sustainable living, spiritual exploration, and more. According to the Voluntary Collective, “The grounding assumption of Voluntary Simplicity is that all human beings have the potential to live meaningful, free, happy and infinitely diverse lives while consuming no more than an equitable share of (the world’s) resources.” We affirm the need for a work/life balance, the right to a healthy environment and healthy food, and healthy community relationships supporting a diverse population. It is our responsibility as engineers of a new generation to make the changes that we want to see happen and pass this on to the next generations. We can’t wait for someone else to do this important work. Voluntary Simplicity is a quiet revolution that can change the world. As one person said, “we must be poets of our own lives and of a new generation.” We hope you will join us here at Coweeta or elsewhere on our journey to a healthier and more sustainable future! Temporary housing is available in a 27 foot trailer trailer with attached deck next to a creek while we build additional housing. Your basic living expenses (shelter, basic food items, power and water) are met through our market garden or other fundraising projects that you will participate in. You are expected to contribute a given amount of your time and energy to help grow our community and meet our financial obligations. Possible future plans include establishing a retreat center for healing our earth and each other. Work includes organic gardening, construction projects and other community building activities. Come join Coweeta and learn how to live lightly on the land and enjoy the Earth’s bounty! For more information, visit www.coweetaheritagecenter.com Contact [email protected] for a visit or more info.  Paul

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