Inside the Grassroots mission to convert 240 lush acres into a co-housing community

4 weeks ago

2 5 minutes read

A handful of nature lovers are betting everything they can on building a farming village on 240 acres of lush farmland an hour outside Seattle.

Fifteen households have committed to purchasing a home in the region Rooted in the northwest co-housing community near Arlington, WA.

In 2020, this band of land protectors pooled their money, got a loan and bought the vast acreage from an elderly farmer.

“We said, ‘Holy smoke, this is one of the last non-floodplain farms of this size in Snohomish County,’” project manager and community co-founder Dave Bohnlein48, says Realtor.com®. “We can’t afford to lose it. We have to help save it.”

Because the farmland was actually zoned residential and not agricultural, Boehnlein, a passionate advocate for regenerative agricultural agriculture and permacultureknew the land would be snapped up by developers.

The homes are clustered so that you can easily walk and undertake joint activities. (Caddis collaboration)

Rooted in the northwest — The houses will mainly be terraced houses with two to four bedrooms, but there will also be some detached houses and, in the future, probably also some apartments. (Caddis collaboration)

So he and some friends came up with a plan for a co-housing community. It would contain 70 sleek houses, but an astonishing 93% of the surrounding acreage would be set aside for gardens, woodlands and farmland.

“We’re going back to the old-fashioned country town,” Boehnlein says. “If you look at how people have occupied the countryside throughout history, the model is not, ‘Here’s a house, and then you drive five minutes before you see the next house.’”

“People occupy rural landscapes in a village format: a cluster of houses that are together for safety, sharing resources and helping each other,” he says. “And then the gardens and farms and everything that radiates from the nodes where people live. That’s what we create.”

The planning commission and county council liked the idea, but had to pass an ordinance to allow it since the area was zoned for single-family homes on 5-acre lots. If the co-housing community works, the province can allow more of them.

“If they see a bunch of happy people and productive farms, and we start moving the needle on food security, I think that would be part of the county’s statistics. [for success],” says Böhnlein.

What is co-housing?

Inspired by concepts that originated in Denmark but can be found worldwide, a co-housing community is “where people live in private homes formed around shared spaces and values,” according to the Rooted Northwest website.

Although the houses are privately owned, there are numerous communal areas such as gardens, communal houses and other gathering places. They will also operate under a type of self-government known as “sociocracy.”

Rooted Northwestern members — Members of the community (many of whom are shown here) will have plenty of opportunity to interact with each other, but can also retreat to their private quarters. (rooted in the northwest)

Loosely explained, this means that residents will all have a say in how the community functions, but they will also – to some extent – remain in their own ‘streets’.

Committees will be formed around certain topics relevant to the village, and ideally the members of each circle will have expertise or knowledge on those topics.

For example, members with forestry skills will be part of the ‘forest management circle’ and make decisions about that aspect of the community. Those who know nothing about forestry are unlikely to have any say in whether a tree is cut down.

“There’s a lot of nuance to it,” Boehnlein says. “Everyone can weigh in whatever they want. If we look at the forest management circle, they get to make forestry decisions. But if their decisions are constantly an unsettling surprise to everyone, then they are not doing it right.”

Rooted Northwest members dine together — Shared meals will be a staple of the community, but not mandatory. Here, co-founder and project manager Dave Boehnlein is at the head of the table. (rooted in the northwest)

The neighborhoods

As planned, 70 homes will be spread over two neighborhoods, with the homes designed by a sustainable architectural firm Caddis Collaborationwith community input, and starting at $875,000. The average sales price in the Seattle metro area is $754,950.

Members will own their home and the land it sits on, but they will also be part of two homeowners’ associations, which will own and manage the agricultural land and common areas.

The homes haven’t been built yet, but everything from floor plans to approved permits are ready for occupancy. The community still needs about fifteen more involved households to start construction.

Interested parties can participate in a 30- to 90-day information period, during which potential and current members can connect with each other to see if everyone is a good match.

Kim Mulligan66, a local real estate agent who specializes in “green homes” and retires to the community, notes the setup would be perfect for overburdened families who need more support.

Because there will be a voluntary rotation of communal meals, “you might not have to cook food for two months,” she says.

Rooted forest in the northwest — The draft plan retains 93% of open land. (rooted in the northwest)

“If you’ve had a long day at work, picked up two kids from after-school activities and you’re too tired to make dinner, pile them into the common house and there’s a delicious meal waiting for you. Then you can hang out and have adult conversation while your kids run to the nursery to play.”

The communal houses will include a kitchen and dining room, a utility room, laundry room and smaller shared spaces for movie nights, book club meetings, yoga classes and the like.

“I could buy into an expensive 55-plus community, have tennis and pickleball courts and all that, but I’d rather be in nature and spend my money on something I believe in,” she says.

Community farming

Currently, six small farmers lease plots on the land, but eventually there will be many more. Boehnlein says the question remains how many there will be and what they will produce. Farmers who rent land do not have to live in the community, and the people who live in the community do not have to farm.

The rented farms come with infrastructure such as a greenhouse, a tractor, an irrigation system, a tool shed and more.

‘By sharing [the infrastructure]we are removing that huge hurdle,” says Boehnlein, adding that there is no profit sharing with the farmers.

The farmers do not have to be certified organic, but they must follow regenerative farming techniques.

“They are not allowed to spray or apply anything that does not meet organic standards,” he says.

Found paradise?

While a village based on healthy living and shared values sounds idyllic, members recognize that everything may not always be rosy.

“There will probably be someone around that I don’t like, and that’s okay,” Boehnlein says. “You don’t have to love everyone and still be on the same page with the same values.”

“People tend to self-select,” Mulligan says. “I’m sure some people will just tune out if we’re not their people.”

The plan is to preserve the farmland in perpetuity, and to that end the group is considering what further future protections might be needed, such as joining or forming a Conservation Land Trust.

“We will do everything we can to protect this property forever,” Boehnlein said.