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Once upon a time Heartwood was overflowing with children. Many of the founding members were parents of young children so shortly after move-in, back in about 2002, we had maybe 25 kids running around. Fast forward 20 years and those kids had grown up and flown the coop. We found ourselves inadvertently starting to look like a senior cohousing community. We had experienced the benefits of kids growing up in a pedestrian-first village. Kids had the freedom to roam freely with a pack of friends under the watchful eyes of loving neighbors. That freedom and the deep relationships with community kids and adults resulted in young adults who were self-confident, capable, caring, and extremely good communicators and collaborators. We selfishly wanted more young families for the richness they bring to our multigenerational community fabric and unselfishly because we knew how much richer the lives of the families would be in our community setting. We expended considerable energy to attract families and it has paid off. In the past three years we've welcomed four young families into our little village and the family snowball is gaining momentum. Families, of course, want to move close to other families so their kids will have playmates. That momentum is carrying over to Phase 2. In the past couple months we've welcomed two families into Phase 2. Natalia and Alex are a Durango couple with two little girls so their move to Phase 2 will be a short one. They love the natural beauty of the Four Corners area and all of the adventures it offers. And they look forward to their girls growing up in a rich multigenerational, supportive community. Rejoyce and Noah will be joining us from Ohio. Their three kids range in age from teenagers to early 20's. They are drawn by the natural beauty of our land and the opportunity for self-awareness, personal growth, and collective transformation that happens in relation with others. A huge welcome to both of these new families! We are very excited to have them join us and look forward to when they will soon be moving into their new Phase 2 homes and becoming our neighbors. To learn more about Natalia, Alex, Rejoyce, Noah, and our other Phase 1 and 2 members, check out our Meet our Members webpage.  Witches, princesses, knights, cows, a tiger, Puss in Boots, and even a mountain goat celebrated a rousing Halloween together complete with trick or treating, a spooky food potluck, and a bonfire with s'mores.  Alex, Natalia, and their girls enjoying the local natural beauty.  Noah and Rejoyce with their three kids enjoying a family vacation in Chicago. Recent Progress Obtaining our county approval in June was a huge step towards making our Phase 2 dream a reality. It cleared the way for us to break ground next spring. To prepare for home building, we've been working with our architect and Phase 2 Homebuyers to refine and finalize model home designs. The architectural work now shifts its focus to the systems that will make these home super energy efficient and environmentally friendly. All of the Phase 2 homes will be built consistent with passive solar design principles to take advantage of the 300+ days of sunshine we receive each year. They will also be built consistent with passive house design principles, meaning that they will be all-electric and have super tight and well insulated envelopes and state of the art heating and cooling systems. We've included extensive Phase 2 home design details on our Phase 2 Homes webpage. In order to continue to deepen our relationships with our future Phase 2 neighbors, in October we hosted a fun-filled Autumn Fest weekend. Many of the Phase households along with several households interested in Phase 2 joined us for apple cider pressing, a lovely and soggy work party, games, pumpkin carving, hiking, and amiable meals together. After welcoming two new families onto the Phase 2 bus, we now have only five spots still available in Phase 2. If you have dreamt of a healthier lifestyle, rich with relationships, in a gorgeous natural setting, this is a great time to check out life in our little community. Once Phase 2 is sold out, opportunities to buy a home at Heartwood will once again be few and far between. The best way to begin your exploration of community life at Heartwood is here on our website.   Paul, Tom, and Jesse enjoying a laugh together during our October Work Party. The Path Ahead Our most important professional partnership in developing Phase 2 will be with our home builder. We have been conducting an exhaustive search of local builders to find just the right one who possesses a combination of integrity, reliability, green building experience, reputation, and experience building at scale. We plan to hire our home builder within the next month. And of course it takes a lot of money to build 14 homes so we have been working on obtaining a construction loan. Things look good on that front. We've got a verbal commitment for a private loan and should have the details worked out within the next couple of months. We're about to roll out a new virtual tour that will make it easier than ever for people to learn about Heartwood. Next Friday, November 15, at 3:00 MT time, we'll be hosting our first ever virtual tour of Heartwood on Zoom (5:00 Eastern, 4:00 Central, 3:00 Mountain, 2:00 Pacific). If that may be of interest to you, mark your calendar and watch for an email with full details.  EJ, Will, and Alice out for a stroll during Autumn Fest. Quarter, the gray cat in the cart, looks on. Getting Involved If you're longing for 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. There are currently no homes for sale in Phase 1 and only five spots left in Phase 2. To learn more, go to our About Phase 2 webpage. The sooner you become a committed Phase 2 Homebuyer, the greater the rewards you'll earn. The order of when you commit determines your place in the lot selection queue. Up until we break ground this coming spring, we are offering a $5,000 Early Bird Credit (discount off your home purchase). And maybe the most important reason to join sooner rather than later is because we are only building 14 more homes. Once all 14 spots are taken, the opportunity window closes. There will not be a Heartwood Phase 3. See our Vital Information for Phase 2 Homebuyers webpage for details. Click here to go to our Plan a Visit webpage or click here to send an email to Ashley. She can help you reserve one of our common house guest rooms, answer any question you may have, or put you in touch will someone who can. With the limited opportunities to buy or rent a home at Heartwood, staying subscribed to these newsletters is your best way to learn about available homes. When home sale, rental, or housesitting opportunities come up, we will announce them here in our newsletter. As always, if you have any questions, simply reply to this email. We're happy to answer any and all inquiries. We've posted answers to frequently asked questions on the Phase 2 FAQ page and also the general Heartwood FAQ page. Yours in Community,
Mac Phase 2 Project Manager
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