Rae! It was so fun to read about your experience buying and building on communal land. This is my dream, or maybe my nightmare, who knows. I've lived communally in many periods of my life, but never with ownership. This makes it feel like it could really happen! Thank you for sharing.
My husband and talk about something like this a lot! Thank you for sharing your story, it's really inspiring. Now to go convince my friends we're serious ha
This is a really useful column, and good for family members who co-own too (we went through most of these steps when co-buying a fixer-upper condo with our adult daughter). The stuff you mention under the operating agreement part is particularly important to think through, in case someone in the co-ownership gets married or divorced (or dies, as you mention). As for Santa Cruz -- I'm a UCSC alumna with friends still living there, and I watched the news last winter with concern for them. How did you handle the intense rains? Did your property suffer flooding, leaking, etc?
Yes I could imagine this would all be similar in co-buying a condo! Thanks for sharing.
Our gravel road took a hit in the rain, and some of us did a couple emergency trips down to clear out the culverts. We had just redone the gravel last summer so that was a bummer, but it’s still drivable. We did our best to tarp our half-built structure (pictures in this post), and it fared ok. No major landslides despite some pretty steep slopes on the property. Definitely some downed trees, but that happens every rainy season and we’ve got chainsaws :). We are in a sort of hilly valley with a slope down to a ravine with a stream, so the flood risk is low but the landslide risk is higher. Overall I think we managed pretty well…but it was crazy to see the property covered in snow!!
This is so cool! We owned a small farm that my partner ran of about 3 acres, and opened it up for people to have their own ownership of plots on the land to do their own growing, sell, etc. It was really fun and rewarding, and our little girls got to help on the farm and sell produce at the local farmers market.
The main issue was organizing with other people who wanted to use the land and make it fair for everyone. Really good tips here you laid out on how to be organized and run it like a real business.
That sounds like an awesome project! I think there are so many forms it can take and be successful, I just haven't seen that many success stories written about in terms of nuts and bolts. Balancing all the various needs and wants is definitely the core challenge, and one we are constantly engaged in. I think tensions there are inevitable, and the key is how the group is set up to respond to those tensions.
This is wonderful, thank you for sharing. Ill try and be brief but your writing gives me so much inspiration.
Some ideas or tips I could share that might be useful.
1-getting everyone together
I used to work at a field services company with lots of different contractors. So for the monthly safety meetup, they managed to bring almost evryone to the office that day with one simple trick: free food
They did the presentation and then everyone sat in these big tables so all the different employees from different areas and levels hanged out together and knew about each other, forming a great team.
And taking a note from your “be silly” tip, maybe you can agree on your own holiday, reunite for a meetup and take decisions and close it with a nice celebration
2-making money
You could look into adding some solar panels on an area that is not too useable or wherever you will do storage and so. That way the electricity can sometimes be sold back to the grid
Or, a lovely book about this great experience (wink, wink)
3-everything changes
With this I mean that even knowing you all have to agree on the use and design, leave some areas for change. For example a couple private glamping spots. Yes you are a community but maybe this was a rough week and its great to know you can rest somewhere close to a community that supports you.These could be later used for someone who invited their inlaws, or when the kids grow up and would like a place to hang, etc.
Love these! We are definitely thinking along the same lines as you. We actually do already have our own holiday...Crab Nebula Day...long story but we dress up liked crabs and eat crab and look at the stars :)
We are definitely considering if and how we want to do any monetization--hipcamp or hosting retreats or the like. We're open to it and there are a lot of advantages, but also very conscious of how it could change the vibe.
Thanks for all your thoughts and keep 'em coming! <3
Crab Nebula Day (and its rituals) brought joy to my heart when I read it, thank you for sharing, its great to know that this wonderful world is full of whimsical people
Oh, something else I could add is to mount several hunting cameras nearby possible drinking spots or sleeping areas for the fauna. This way you can find out any furry or feathered or scaly (or gooey?) friends that are sharing the space with you and plan accordingly.
Thank you for taking the time and effort to write this article. My cousin has owned an expanded her farm for over 30 years in the mountains of West Virginia and has four parcels, roughly 500 acres, that are all deeded into conservancy and tied up with easements to preserve the integrity of the land. She wants to create a succession plan for co-ownership of these properties and to create ecological projects that produce income and contribute to the community. I i'm looking for a facilitator we might engage to help with the planning of this undertaking. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Daniel Miller dkmiller13@gmail.com
This is an incredible post. I really loved the bit where you gave us permission to talk about communal projects like this even though *everyone* also talks about them... who cares! It’s only possible if we make it possible. Really cool to hear about some of the inner workings.
Thank you for writing this, Rae! I’m not attached to the format, but I would *love* to continue to hear about this project -- how it got off the ground, how it’s going, things to consider, things you wish you’d known, alternatives you all considered but discarded. Hearing what you’ve done helps me bring more clarity to my own dreams.
We raised our kids in the Santa Cruz mountains during the early years until we moved to Montana, and it was magical for us. One of the first nights there I recall going outside and drinking in the dark mountain air, describing it as "creamy" to my husband when I came inside. It wasn't an easy life up there, and the fires have gutted our former neighborhood of eccentrics, turning it into a barren moonscape that hurts my heart.
Would I want to move back again, no. Not to the mountains but yes to Santa Cruz despite all of it's challenges because DAMN that weather is near perfect. I'm so grateful for those years there, and am glad to hear you are forging ahead with your dreams. I can't think of a better place to do something like this.
Already calling dibs on a Ministry of Silly Walks.
That is a PERFECT ministry. Seems like you get it :)
Rae! It was so fun to read about your experience buying and building on communal land. This is my dream, or maybe my nightmare, who knows. I've lived communally in many periods of my life, but never with ownership. This makes it feel like it could really happen! Thank you for sharing.
Awesome I'm glad you liked it! It can really happen! Just takes some vision and a bunch of work lol :)
My husband and talk about something like this a lot! Thank you for sharing your story, it's really inspiring. Now to go convince my friends we're serious ha
Yaaas! Do ittt! Or at least start talking about it :)
This is a really useful column, and good for family members who co-own too (we went through most of these steps when co-buying a fixer-upper condo with our adult daughter). The stuff you mention under the operating agreement part is particularly important to think through, in case someone in the co-ownership gets married or divorced (or dies, as you mention). As for Santa Cruz -- I'm a UCSC alumna with friends still living there, and I watched the news last winter with concern for them. How did you handle the intense rains? Did your property suffer flooding, leaking, etc?
Yes I could imagine this would all be similar in co-buying a condo! Thanks for sharing.
Our gravel road took a hit in the rain, and some of us did a couple emergency trips down to clear out the culverts. We had just redone the gravel last summer so that was a bummer, but it’s still drivable. We did our best to tarp our half-built structure (pictures in this post), and it fared ok. No major landslides despite some pretty steep slopes on the property. Definitely some downed trees, but that happens every rainy season and we’ve got chainsaws :). We are in a sort of hilly valley with a slope down to a ravine with a stream, so the flood risk is low but the landslide risk is higher. Overall I think we managed pretty well…but it was crazy to see the property covered in snow!!
I just love this! Bravo to all of you involved in getting this to work for you. Sparking all manner of ideas here!
Thank you Harriet! So glad that this is inspiring ideas...that’s the goal!
This was super interesting, Rae. I’m glad you went against your self-imposed rules about list writing!
:) thanks Amy!
I just love the ministries! I love it all!
The ministries are definitely the best 😂
This is so cool! We owned a small farm that my partner ran of about 3 acres, and opened it up for people to have their own ownership of plots on the land to do their own growing, sell, etc. It was really fun and rewarding, and our little girls got to help on the farm and sell produce at the local farmers market.
The main issue was organizing with other people who wanted to use the land and make it fair for everyone. Really good tips here you laid out on how to be organized and run it like a real business.
That sounds like an awesome project! I think there are so many forms it can take and be successful, I just haven't seen that many success stories written about in terms of nuts and bolts. Balancing all the various needs and wants is definitely the core challenge, and one we are constantly engaged in. I think tensions there are inevitable, and the key is how the group is set up to respond to those tensions.
This is wonderful, thank you for sharing. Ill try and be brief but your writing gives me so much inspiration.
Some ideas or tips I could share that might be useful.
1-getting everyone together
I used to work at a field services company with lots of different contractors. So for the monthly safety meetup, they managed to bring almost evryone to the office that day with one simple trick: free food
They did the presentation and then everyone sat in these big tables so all the different employees from different areas and levels hanged out together and knew about each other, forming a great team.
And taking a note from your “be silly” tip, maybe you can agree on your own holiday, reunite for a meetup and take decisions and close it with a nice celebration
2-making money
You could look into adding some solar panels on an area that is not too useable or wherever you will do storage and so. That way the electricity can sometimes be sold back to the grid
Or, a lovely book about this great experience (wink, wink)
3-everything changes
With this I mean that even knowing you all have to agree on the use and design, leave some areas for change. For example a couple private glamping spots. Yes you are a community but maybe this was a rough week and its great to know you can rest somewhere close to a community that supports you.These could be later used for someone who invited their inlaws, or when the kids grow up and would like a place to hang, etc.
Love these! We are definitely thinking along the same lines as you. We actually do already have our own holiday...Crab Nebula Day...long story but we dress up liked crabs and eat crab and look at the stars :)
We are definitely considering if and how we want to do any monetization--hipcamp or hosting retreats or the like. We're open to it and there are a lot of advantages, but also very conscious of how it could change the vibe.
Thanks for all your thoughts and keep 'em coming! <3
Crab Nebula Day (and its rituals) brought joy to my heart when I read it, thank you for sharing, its great to know that this wonderful world is full of whimsical people
Oh, something else I could add is to mount several hunting cameras nearby possible drinking spots or sleeping areas for the fauna. This way you can find out any furry or feathered or scaly (or gooey?) friends that are sharing the space with you and plan accordingly.
What are some resources you used for models/templates to set the agreements for financial investments, maintenance roles, exit strategy, etc.?
Rachel:
Thank you for taking the time and effort to write this article. My cousin has owned an expanded her farm for over 30 years in the mountains of West Virginia and has four parcels, roughly 500 acres, that are all deeded into conservancy and tied up with easements to preserve the integrity of the land. She wants to create a succession plan for co-ownership of these properties and to create ecological projects that produce income and contribute to the community. I i'm looking for a facilitator we might engage to help with the planning of this undertaking. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Daniel Miller dkmiller13@gmail.com
This is an incredible post. I really loved the bit where you gave us permission to talk about communal projects like this even though *everyone* also talks about them... who cares! It’s only possible if we make it possible. Really cool to hear about some of the inner workings.
Very cool.
Thank you for writing this, Rae! I’m not attached to the format, but I would *love* to continue to hear about this project -- how it got off the ground, how it’s going, things to consider, things you wish you’d known, alternatives you all considered but discarded. Hearing what you’ve done helps me bring more clarity to my own dreams.
Wish I could do this too but it seems like you need... friends ... 🥹
We raised our kids in the Santa Cruz mountains during the early years until we moved to Montana, and it was magical for us. One of the first nights there I recall going outside and drinking in the dark mountain air, describing it as "creamy" to my husband when I came inside. It wasn't an easy life up there, and the fires have gutted our former neighborhood of eccentrics, turning it into a barren moonscape that hurts my heart.
Would I want to move back again, no. Not to the mountains but yes to Santa Cruz despite all of it's challenges because DAMN that weather is near perfect. I'm so grateful for those years there, and am glad to hear you are forging ahead with your dreams. I can't think of a better place to do something like this.