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​

​Phase 2 Update Newsletter

Success in Passing our First Big County Approval Hurdle!

10/25/2019

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​With our Land Use Map Amendment approval last night, things are looking very good in our county approval process. Lots of other good news to report, including being up to 20 Phase 2 Associate Members (see list below).

Onward we go...

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Recent Progress
The really big news is that last night we went before the County Planning Commission seeking approval for a Land Use Map Amendment which would make Phase 2 possible. We passed with flying colors! That was the the first big hurdle with County approval. We have two more to go – Conceptual Development Plan (CDP) and Preliminary Plat.

Our hearing before the Planning Commission to consider our CDP application is scheduled for November 21. Everything is looking good so far. May it go as smoothly as last night.

The Phase 2 Associate Members' chat group has been lively. Folks have been introducing themselves and we've begun sharing our hopes and dreams about what kind of homes we'd like to build. Our work together to shape our new community expansion has begun.

Besides saving your spot in Phase 2 and your place in the lot and carport selection queue, getting to participate in shaping our Phase 2 planning and design is one of the key benefits of becoming a Phase 2 Associate Member. Click here for info on becoming an Associate Member.

Speaking of which, we are now up to 20 P2 Associate Members. Welcome aboard May and Joyce!

There are a thousand details involved in a real estate development of this magnitude and many of them are rather mundane, although completely necessary. Some recent progress:
  • The community revised our covenants paving the way for our new vision of Phase 2 – fourteen homes clustered near our existing Phase 1 cluster.
  • We submitted our application to expand our water well permits to allow for Phase 2 expansion plus possible future farm housing.
It's not all about work here. This past weekend we had a great time together at our 24th annual Canyonlands campout. We even did a 204 mile hike on Saturday. Well, actually, 15 of us did a 13.6 mile hike for a total of 204 miles through some of the most jaw dropping scenery on the planet. And since this is the Four Corners region, we had lovely, sunny skies the whole weekend.

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The Path Ahead
Besides preparing for our CDP hearing before the County Planning Commission in November, we are also working on determining where exactly on our 361 acres we will locate our ~3 acre Phase 2 cluster. We've got lots of choices. We are working to meet the following criteria:
  • close to Phase 1 cluster for easy walkability and integration
  • natural beauty (no shortage of that)
  • solar access (no shortage of that either)
  • minimize development costs (roads, water, septic, etc) in order to keep lot prices lower
  • minimize any adverse impacts on Phase 1 homes
Because we are a rural neighborhood, we are not hooked up to a municipal sewer system and must provide our own system. With the 24 Phase 1 homes and 14 Phase 2 homes that has the potential to create a pretty big footprint, which makes figuring out a septic system plan one of our first big steps in determining the location of the new Phase 2 cluster. I've been working with our engineer and the local health department. There seems to be some good possibilities, but we won't know for sure what makes the most sense until we really dig into the details.

We have also recently been working with our local internet provider. They assure me that we will be able to provide 50 mbps internet service to P2 homes. That's great news for future P2 residents who will work remotely, which is something that many P1 residents already do.

As I mentioned above, the dreaming and planning has begun with the P2 Associate Members as we envision the homes we will build and live in. Within the next week I will release a survey for them to take so we can dive more deeply into their housing wants and needs.

Every quarter I zoom out from my detailed work on Phase 2 and do some long range planning. Based on where we're at now and the practical imperative of building during the summer, it looks like aiming to begin Phase 2 construction during the spring of 2021 makes the most sense. There's a possibility that if everything in the universe aligns just right, we could be ready to build in the the summer of 2020, but as we all know, pretty much everything takes longer than we think it will, especially  in the world of government approvals, design, and construction.

When we built Phase 1, we had hoped to break ground in late spring, but because of the inevitable delays, we didn't break ground until the end of summer, which meant lots of construction going on through the winter – less than optimal (meaning more costly). This time around we will hopefully plan for those inevitable delays. If we shoot to have everything ready for construction by the end of 2020, that might give us a reasonable chance of actually being ready by the spring of 2021.

Getting Involved
If you're interested in a greater sense of peace and belonging in your life and a healthier lifestyle fostered by living in community and close to Nature, we invite you to get involved. If you'd like to come for a visit, click here to check out our Plan a Visit webpage or click here to send an email to Sandy. She can help you reserve one of our common house guest rooms.

If you've been undecided about becoming an Associate Member, don't despair about the fact that we already have 20 Associate Member households. Once Full Equity Membership opens up and the $12,000 non-refundable deposit is required, there will certainly be some turnover. If you are seriously interested, we'd strongly encourage you to get in the Phase 2 queue by becoming an Associate Member. Chances are there will be room for you. Click here for info on becoming an Associate Member.

As always, if you have any questions, simply reply to this email and let us know. We're happy to answer any and all questions. We've posted frequently asked questions on the Phase 2 page on our website.

Yours in Community,
Mac

Phase 2 Project Manager
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    The Phase 2 Update newsletter provides periodic updates on our progress in developing the second phase of Heartwood Cohousing. To have Heartwood newsletters delivered right to your inbox, click on the GET IN TOUCH button at the bottom of this page.

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  • Home
  • ABOUT US
    • About Heartwood >
      • Our Story
      • Culture of Consensus
      • Newsletters
      • Heartwood in the News
      • Meet our Members
      • Our Land & Shared Amenities
      • Our Homes
      • How Heartwood Works
      • Demographics
    • About Phase 2 >
      • Phase 2 Homebuyer Commitment
      • Phase 2 FAQ
      • Vital Info for P2 Homebuyers
    • About Cohousing
    • About Southwest Colorado
    • Photo & Video Gallery >
      • People
      • Places
      • Activities
      • Yesteryear
      • Videos
    • FAQ
  • GETTING INVOLVED
    • Path to Membership
    • 4th Friday Happy Hour
    • Plan a Visit
  • What's Available
    • FOR RENT >
      • #14 - Rent
  • DOCUMENTS
    • Agreements
    • Guidelines
    • Resources
    • Decision Log
    • For New Members