FAQ

Construction began in early February; we anticipate moving in to start this year – 2026!

Sales prices and unit descriptions can be found here.

Monthly maintenance charges will include operating expenses, insurance, debt service, and capital reserves but do not include utilities for individual units. They will also cover the activities fee and a share of the ground lease. The amount will be determined by the community. Our target is approx. $350. Like other cohousing communities, we will have a program of shared volunteer work to keep our fees lower.

Short-term construction financing has been arranged by Rachel Carson Ecovillage with Dollar Bank. The construction loan is paid off over the construction period as each individual unit is purchased (closed on) by the individual owners.

Each owner makes a 20% deposit upon selecting a unit and signing the corresponding sales agreement. This deposit is applied to the cost of the unit at closing.  Any additional financing (e.g., mortgage) needed to purchase the unit and any improvements will be the responsibility of the individual homeowner. Each owner can choose their own financial institution for any needed financing.

Yes! All or part of several units will be available for rental (rates to be determined by owner not RCE). Some founders are already committed to co-purchase and several Explorer members are interested in co-purchase with one or more compatible buyers. All non-owner residents will have all the same community rights and responsibilities as owners, except in matters relating to expenditure of money.

No. Experience has shown that self-selection is the best way to form a community. The community attracts people who are looking to be active community members. We conduct a meeting with each prospective founding member household to be certain that they are fully prepared for whatever risks they are assuming and for active participation in community decision-making.

Please refer to the “Become a Member” section of the website, which explains the three-step “path” to membership: Inquirer→Explorer→ Founder. Fees paid are non-refundable because they are used to cover the costs of developing the project. However, they are counted toward the cost of each household’s unit. Once we are living in the community, we may offer associate memberships to non- residents interested in participating in meals and other activities.

Without a developer, risk is shared by the founding members. The risks in developing cohousing are mostly related to acquiring property, the governmental/regulatory approvals to build on the property, and attracting enough prospective owners financially committed to the Ecovillage to obtain bank financing. These hurdles are essentially behind us. The main outstanding risk is selling the remaining units.  More than  75% of units are already financially committed to by their prospective owners (signed sales agreements and at least 20% downpayment) and we have an active group of Explorer members considering purchase. Each unit sold reduces the risk further.

Unit selection order is determined by the date which you join as a Founder. The earlier you commit to buying a unit, the closer you are to the front of the line in unit selection. One other advantage is that the earlier you come into the group, the more opportunity you have to be a part of the planning.

After you have completed the preliminary steps for becoming a Founder member, you will be eligible to sign a unit reservation and make the required deposit. This will entitle you to choose your unit from those still available.

In high-performance design, the contractor is an essential part of the planning team. We selected Jendoco Construction Corporation to assist us with the design process, and highly regarded local contractors, including Hardt Construction and PCC Construction, for the onsite work on the basis of the quality and cost-effectiveness of their past projects, recommendations from clients, their capabilities in high-performance construction, and their interest in the project.

Our multi-disciplinary team includes architects/landscape architects (evolveEA), civil engineers (Civil and Environmental Consultants), ecological designers (Fourth River Workers Guild and Larry Weaner Landscape Associates), building performance consultants (AUROS Group), constructability and costing (Jendoco, PCC, and Hardt), and offsite fabricators (Blueprint Robotics).

Common meals (even if some people’s schedules permit them to attend only irregularly) are the glue that holds cohousing communities together. Cohousing communities usually prepare between two and five meals per week in their common house. The meals are prepared by a team of 2-4 persons for however many diners sign up for the meal in advance. Eating common meals is always voluntary. There’s been a lot of experimenting with policies about meals over the years. While there is a good deal of variation in the way the cooking (and cleanup) responsibilities are structured, typically, each person is involved in meal preparation and/or clean-up once every 4 or 5 weeks. There is also variation in how the common meals are paid for, but you only pay for meals you eat. Common dinner prices typically range from $2.50 to $4.00

Dynamic governance” or “sociocracy” is a governance model that more and more co-housing communities are learning in order to make decisions in a timely way with the benefit of full participation and effective usethat respect everyone’s voice and of everyone’s time.  Residents report they even enjoy working together.  Communities that learn and adopt this approach to governance early tend to find it most helpful.  RCE was initiated with a sociocratic form of governance.  All our new Explorer members take our Sociocracy 101 class (a four-session small-group online course ) and advance their familiarity with it in our own workshops as well as online events, reading, and practice.  For more, see https://www.cohousing.org/sociocracy/ or https://www.sociocracyforall.org.

The community decides on its goals, principles, and policies.  Community decisions are made by planning groups, each of which has been delegated its own aims and domains.  The four primary groups are Membership and Outreach, Legal and Financial, Administration, and Community Life and Governance, which are guiding our development and preparing our policies.  Explorer members who have completed Sociocracy 101 are entitled (and encouraged) to become participants in a planning group.

One of the basic principles of cohousing is collaboration, so aside from the practical benefits of voluntary work by residents, it is generally valued for its community-building benefits. At Rachel Carson EcoVillage, a self-managed community, there will always be an abundance of opportunities to pitch in and get involved, with a wide variety of work to fit the talents, interests, and limitations of individuals. Like most communities, we anticipate asking residents to choose what they would like to do (affinity-based work), which tends to work surprisingly well.  Typically, the community asks all residents to take part in community decisions, to take a turn at common house meal preparation, and to participate in seasonal workdays.  Total volunteer time may average 4-8 hours per month.  Those who participate in this way often report that working closely together with others is an especially satisfying way of connecting and feeling a strong sense of community.

Yes!  Monetary contributions can be made via our Donate Page. Your gift will go to help us make our units more affordable for families with lower incomes.