Cohousing-L Mailing List: Regenerative co-housing opportunity in Silverton, Oregon

[elycehues (elycehues]

Hello, my friend Teresa Foster shared this Listserve with me. Here is a 
write-up about a potential project, if you are willing to share:

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The 7-acre property at 0 Chikamin Loop in Silverton, Oregon is going to auction 
on June 5. Many of our elder Silvertonians hold cherished memories of playing 
in this forest as children. Decades ago, it was partially cut for timber, but 
many trees were left standing. It has remained a popular pedestrian path and 
viewpoint ever since. A vision for this property has arisen, which would 
maintain and enhance the beauty of this site while expanding on the meaningful 
connection to nature this property provides our community.

Steep slopes and access issues make this property difficult and expensive to 
develop in the conventional way. As such, it is unclear whether it will sell at 
the June 5 auction. Sustainable Silverton board member, Elyce Hues, lives at 
the lower end of this hillside property and has enjoyed meeting community 
members walking along the trail. She would like to raise awareness of the 
current status of the property, encourage the community to get out and enjoy it 
while we can, and most notably, gauge interest in a grand vision: co-investment 
in this property for a different kind of development, one that honors the value 
of this property to the community and ecology while providing right-sized 
housing. She has been speaking with community members and organizations and has 
learned that her vision for this property fits like a missing puzzle piece 
within an overall community vision for a more resilient, interconnected, and 
prepared Silverton. It could be a rare opportunity, during these turbulent 
times, and at any level ($1,000 and up), to make one of the safest of all 
investments - real estate - while aligning with your heart and values. It could 
be an investment in habitat preservation, the character of our town, 
regenerative agriculture, and a resilient and interconnected Silverton.

If the property does not sell on June 5, the community will have the chance to 
come together around this shared vision. With this investment, you can:

Protect Nature

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Preserve the oak and fir groves that provide habitat to birds, bats, and other 
wildlife

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Support the future development of a demonstration regenerative food forest that 
protects the health of pollinators and other wildlife, while providing food for 
people

Help Out a Neighbor

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Protect the downhill neighbors' homes from rainy-season flooding by reducing 
hillside runoff

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Preserve community access to open green space and the most beautiful view this 
side of Silver Creek

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Encourage the development of a pedestrian and bicyclists trail network in 
Silverton

Build Local Resilience

-

Support a broader network of people organizing locally (from Sustainable 
Silverton to the Silverton Food Co-op to GeerCrest to Elderberry Wisdom Farms 
and more) to create food independence, resilience, and security

-

Provide a demonstration garden where the community can learn hands-on about 
native and adapted plants that can feed us

Respond Thoughtfully to the Need for Housing

-

Support the future, site-appropriate development of a tiny home village, with 
“treehouses” on stilts, located to maximize views, with every opportunity 
leveraged to keep the home buying cost affordable.

-

Support cooperative co-housing at a manageable scale: residents of the village 
will only spend as much time stewarding the land as can comfortably fit around 
a day job

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW:

1- Get out and visit this property while you still can. Sunrise at dawn is a 
special time, with full 180+ views of the horizon. If you love bats and/or 
sunsets, visit at dusk.

2- Next time you are downtown on S Water Street, gaze to the East and notice 
the special character this beautiful hillside provides to the whole of town.

3- Visit the website 
([https://silvertonpermaculture.my.canva.site](https://silvertonpermaculture.my.canva.site/))
 and respond to the contact form to indicate your interest in investing in the 
property.

If the property remains on the market on June 6 and there has been a strong 
show of support for this project, the plan is to form an LLC to accept 
investments and purchase the land. If this vision aligns with your own desire 
for Silverton’s future, be sure to complete the contact form with the amount 
you might invest.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16hnQE0w1XOceMAW9sgLHqVRKQFayQaTEMFrb-pDBK9k/edit?usp=sharing

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