A few weekends ago I went on a tour of Rocky Corner (http://rockycorner.org/), a “neighborhood with a farm” - a co-housing community that is being built in Bethany, CT. Dick Margulis walked me through what they were building there and I love the concept.
They are looking to build a simple but functional community of 30 or so residences of different sizes to cater to people of different needs. Singles, Couples, Young Families, Retired Professionals, Artists, Business owners etc. They are part of an increasing trend in the US called co-housing.
Co-housing is a term that has been around since the 60’s according to Wikipedia. Essentially it is an intentional community of private homes clustered around a shared space. This co-habitation creates lots of unique opportunities to socialize more with neighbors, connect more with the people of a community and share in the management of a community. Central spaces like the one at Rocky Corner have full industrial kitchen to make communal meals or host parties. The one at Rocky Corner will also have a full maker space with a workshop to continue learning handy skills or explore you’re creative juices.
Additionally Rocky Corner will have a functioning farm where community members can volunteer or help as they might want. The unifying factor of the community is just that - “community.” If you desire privacy and isolation, it may not be the right place for you because you will get to know your neighbors and interact with them daily. BUT that’s the point. We ALL bring unique talents and potential into the world and communities like this want to bring people together so that they can explore that potential with the help of others.
It’s altruistic in nature, but if you believe in the “it takes a village” mantra, then co-housing might be a good place for you. And if you’re in Connecticut, I would recommend that you schedule a time to head up there. They will be moving into the first units soon and still have 7 or so homes left for construction and sale. As Dick said in the tour, it may not be right for everyone, but what you are buying into is a community of people from different backgrounds who want to maintain a “connection” you might not get in other neighborhoods.
For more information, check out their website: http://rockycorner.org/. There you can see the pictures and read more about it as well as hear from one future resident “Pat” in a video on the home page.
