Community with large private domains

Dear all--
I'm new here, and am seeking to create something that's distinct from the majority of eco-village/co-housing/intentional-community models that exist, and I believe it fulfills some needs and desires that many of us share (some of which I read in forums here. For example https://permies.com/t/40133/introvert-community).

My vision is to develop land into a type of eco-village/intentional community, with some key distinctions:

1) each family owns or holds in perpetuity their own domain of maybe 10 acres which is demarcated and is theirs alone forever. This is not able to be sold. The idea is that they can completely grow their own food on their own domain to provide for their family and future generations of their family, using permaculture principles, etc. And because it will be in their lineage forever, they will invest into the land a bit differently.

2) each family builds their own house themselves using materials from the land (primarily), which would mean they would be mostly earth-houses like cob and cob-bale houses (which are safe and easy for anyone to build).

3) there is a "natural" "wild" common ecosystem matrix around the domains to provide wildlife habitat, and other ecosystem services.

4) there is a large common area which would likely include a school (or homeschool co-op), community meeting area, visitor center, large communal body of water (lake or ocean/beach), large community pastureland and agricultural lands for any community food production, and more.

5) there are common principles such as no mechanization (vehicles can exist on the outskirts, to travel elsewhere), no plastic or poisonous substances of any kind (so groundwater and air is protected for everyone), no alcohol or recreational drugs, etc.

This would share some principles  of "rewilding" where residents are fully meeting all their own needs on their own land, using earth-based "indigenous" skills rather than machines and appliances.

The intent would be to bring together individuals and families who want to create their own "conscious" homestead that is nestled into a larger community of people who are also committed to a nature-based life.

They key to this (which to me addresses many issues that arise for some people in intentional communities) is that residents can choose to have as much or as little contact with others as they want. There are zero rules or expectations about how much time is spent with other members of the community and no one is obligated to "work" on common projects. To me, and just to generalize a little: most co-housing and eco-village models do not provide enough land and the houses are too close together, and many intentional communities create many rules and expectations about social interactions and there is not a lot of sovereignty or privacy or independence. I personally would love to live in a place where meals are shared and work on communal projects is shared ONLY when I want to share in those activities. And I want to have my own land for my family where I can create my own gardens and projects that is completely my own territory. There are many intentional communities that seem so lovely and filled with amazing people, but I would personally feel restricted living there, almost enslaved by all the expectations and rules around doing so much together.

I have a child, and I have raised him in close connection to nature.  My interest is in creating a place where there are many other families and children, that a fulfilling place for children to be--and that also has wise elders in residence and other individuals who are modeling healthy skills and conscious awareness and provide healthy adult models for all the children around.

If a group wanted to go in on the land, maybe at $30,000 each, with 50 members, that could buy say 1,000 acres for around $1M, and use $500,000 for the legal structure and common areas. 10 acres per person would leave 500 acres of common area. I have seen some amazing pieces of land that size in Montana, Colorado, Idaho, maybe California. Italy and Portugal are possible also.

Anyway, these are just my initial rough ideas. Maybe this does already exist and if so, please tell me where, so I can move there! I know there are communities like this in Russia because of the Anastasia ringing cedars books. But I haven't found this manifested in a complete way elsewhere. Maybe vedrica? And I saw this other thread with an interest in this idea
https://permies.com/t/59033/ringing-cedars-village-forming-west

I welcome your thoughts!

So, rather like an eco HOA?

Yes but with more common areas and community projects (that are totally optional)--and a selection process for members. I don't think most HOAs have a meeting center, a school, a visitor center, a common grazing land, a common garden, common wilderness areas, do they?

Hi Cayo,

I like your idea, we've been thinking along similar lines for some years now. I think it could be called reinventing civilization in a green way and it's really pretty similar to how a lot of tribes have lived in the past. Still judging the (lack of) responses to ideas like this I see everywhere where communities like this are suggested, or even have been put in place, I get the feeling we as a 'species' are not quite ready yet to move from liking the idea towards creating this reality. I think our main obstacle is lack of trust in other people. How many people would like to live just like how you describe, but they cannot imagine that it could become a reality. Still, more people start to formulate ideas like this and I hope this way of thinking will make a big leap forward soon!

Cayo Seraphim wrote: that also has wise elders in residence

It might be difficult to find wise elders who are willing and able to build their own houses from onsite materials.

Tyler Ludens wrote:

Cayo Seraphim wrote: that also has wise elders in residence

It might be difficult to find wise elders who are willing and able to build their own houses from onsite materials.

Almost anyone can build a cob house (with some extra hands for the roof and other heavy parts); the basic idea is just to suggest that houses are indigenous to the land, but of course help would be desired by many home-builders, and perhaps needed by some (elders). I was thinking that the community could hire some cob and other earth-building professionals to be located onsite to assist anyone in training or actual building. Once community members have experience, they could help others.

Sounds like what I am looking for, and I love the "Anastasia"...Ringing Cedars of Russia books  : )

The Idea sounds similar. I am trying to work out the requirements and possible details [following soon(tm)].

I've watched enough families for long enough that I've come to believe that families are temporary and ephemeral. I would think that a successful land organization meme should match the ephemeral nature of families. A few members of my family have lived on the same farm for only 157 years. That's not even the slightest fraction of 'forever'. Of the original 640 acres of land that the original family member was assigned, perhaps half of it remains in the family, but her descendants number in the thousands. There have been so many deaths at young and old ages,  so many inheritances, so many divorces, so many marriages, so many illegitimate kids, so many affairs, so many births, so many adoptions, so many definitions of family. And always, the unrelenting growth in population: Consuming more and more of the finite world that surrounds us.

Rather than hire professional cob builders, maybe set up a cob/natural building school.

It may generate enough income to pay for taxes, infrastructure, etc.