The neighborhoods in the EcoVillages will be organized in varying ways.  Some will be set up under condominium law. This means that people own their homes or business buildings and also own a percentage of all of the land in their condominium area. This percentage is based on their building's usable square footage as it relates to the total usable square footages in the condominium. Other neighborhoods will have fee simple ownership of individual lots, with common use easements, and common ownership of other community areas.  The areas reserved for native habitat and recreation will be owned in common by the Mariposa community.

     When buying into the EcoVillage, a person can buy the ownership of either a completed building, or a Development Right (DR), when there is no building already constructed. The DR is the equivalent of a "lot" in an ordinary subdivision, and each DR is legally described by giving its coordinates on the ground, as with an ordinary lot, or also above the ground in the "air space". When a structure or DR is sold, both the building and the seller's percentage of the total property transfers title. Infrastructure costs are pro-rated per dwelling or business unit. These include streets and parks, energy, water and wastewater treatment and the oversight needed to develop and maintain all of the above.  All of these, including non-public utilities, will be owned by the condominium association so that any profit made by any of them will go to directly benefit the entire community. It is planned that internal transportation, internet and satellite service could be handled similarly. If there is interest, the condominium association may negotiate for volume discounts on insurance or develop an internal system of insurance.

     NSD is committed to providing opportunities for anyone to live in an EcoVillage who is interested and willing to work for it. We believe that when people are homeowners they have a greater stake in their community, with all its rewards and responsibilities. Home ownership makes a common meeting-ground between neighbors that is called "socio-economic equity", and promoting this equality of status contributes to overall social coherence and builds community spirit.

     Future residents can purchase a built home, or a Development Right or a homesite. The Development Right (DR) is set up under standard rules for a condominium development and essentially buys the home location space. Depending upon DR availability, and the buyer's choice, it can be located at the ground floor, or at some other level.

     A buyer may also participate in the actual construction of his or her home by arranging to work weekends, half weeks, or during other supervised crew times. This program provides continuing income as the homebuyer invests their labor, and naturally reduces the amount of cash required for purchasing the home. In order to insure adherence to building regulations, and to maintain uniformly high standards of workmanship for all homes, any work done on one's own house will be performed under company supervision and quality control.

For the initial stages of the project, the Development Right (DR) for a Dwelling Unit (DU) is estimated to be approximately the same price as a building lot in comparable residential developments. This amount is expected to increase as the EcoVillage develops.

This DR charge covers the cost of the land, its specific adjacent private open space, parking spaces at ground-level, surveys and other site-development work, and a stipulated percent of the Infrastructure costs, but not legal fees, loan servicing, title transfers; nor any building materials, or labor or profit for construction.

NSD will establish optional, voluntary programs of Group Housing, or Co-Housing which will make it possible for individuals, even with below average incomes, to live well while buying a home. Home buyers can opt to live temporarily in either of these housing programs. Living close to the EcoVillage construction site eliminates commuting for community workers, and will rapidly develop a lively town presence. Even those persons who are not interested in home ownership are eligible to rent both of these types of housing, and both will be built early in the project. They can be leased, or sold according to standard condominium law, either as complete buildings, or as individual apartment units.

CO-HOUSING

Co-housing is a living arrangement that is becoming popular due to its greater integration of generations. It also produces more convivial interactions in a small local socially and economically related grouping of homes within the greater community. Depending on the conditions, co-housing can be built as row-housing, or sometimes more in the form of an apartment building. We plan to use a form that could be called a "complex", which is a series of connected structures that will be on more than one story in some parts, and which use ground-level patios, roof decks and balconies for outside private open space, as will the non-co-housing dwellings. Usually co-housing group dwelling units are smaller than average, because the residents have a centralized dining hall where they take turns cooking and eating together when they desire, although some people choose to pay extra for their food because they are unable to cook, or prefer not to. This is a method of reducing the daily chore of cooking to one that is done perhaps once in every week or two, and with community friends to help in the preparation and cleaning up. Dwellings can also be smaller and less expensive than usual since extra bedrooms for visitors are available when needed by rental from the co-housing group as a whole,. Usually, there is also some arrangement for a young children's supervised play area, and often daycare.

Some groups also include some form of assisted care for the elderly, so they can remain in their homes. Co-housing arrangements are usually attached to each other to save on initial construction costs and later on heating and cooling expenses, as well as to more efficiently use the land.

This neighborhood-oriented form of housing is becoming popular in many parts of the country, both to reduce construction and living costs, and as a means to develop community spirit in compact neighborhoods where everyone is known. Dwellings vary in size, but each will have a small kitchen, private living and sleeping areas, and a private bath. Sharing cooking within the Co-Housing community is optional. The other facilities provided will be similar, but usually more extensive, than those found in Group Houses.  Rent, with utilities for a family in a Co-Housing Unit is estimated to be about $250 per month per adult, and $50 per child under twelve years. Food costs are up to the individuals but, if they are participating in a shared cooking system, it should be much lower than in an ordinary home due to savings enjoyed by buying as a group. Based on past experience, we estimate reasonable monthly food costs to be $100 per adult, and $70 per child.

GROUP HOUSING:

     Group houses are operated along the lines of a small extended family team, although children under eighteen years are usually not included in these compact living arrangements. Modified Group House dwellings to include younger children could be built if the demand warrants it.

     Each group house will have one large kitchen where various food preparation and kitchen cleanup duties are shared once per week, or less. There will be both private and shared bath/toilet arrangements, depending on the rent paid. Each group house, in addition to sleeping quarters, has a dining room, an active community room, a quiet living room, a laundry, garden space allocated, and other amenities. Group-house members can also participate in this building's construction to reduce future rent.

     The rent for group housing is estimated to average $200 per adult per month, not including utilities. Food costs will vary with the group's buying and eating habits.

Further Details and Comments on the System

     1. One of the main things that should be apparent from the examples is that by simplifying and changing a few key aspects of lifestyle, great economic advantage can be gained, and the need for cash drastically reduced. Some of these benefits found in changes in life-style are:

     a. no commuting due to living near your work in Mariposa,
     b. reduced costs, effort, and time by cooperating in food buying and cooking,
     c. community insurance-pooling,
     d. other savings through cooperating at the community level, such as low-cost rental vehicles as a transportation alternative, etc.
      e. very low community bank and credit union finance handling charges

     2. There is to be an EcoVillage community sales tax (in effect a capital gains tax) on any income from property sales above the original purchase price of a Development Right (DR), or above the original price of a Dwelling Unit (DU). Under this arrangement, any increase in value over the annual increase for inflation, if applicable, must be split 50-50 with the community.  Thus, if a home of $100,000 increases in value by 20%/ year for 5 years, the owner is now selling a $200,000 home. The sellers get the first 3% per year of the original purchase price, for the 5 years, or $15,000. (Assuming there is a rate of inflation of 3%.) Then they pay to the community-fund 50% of the remaining $85,000 of the sales price, or $42,500, and receive a total of $157,500 for their home. In this way, they enjoy overall a total 11.5% yearly increase in their properties value during the five years of ownership. ($57,500/$100,000 = 57.5%/5 yrs. = 11.5%) Under this system, the community also realizes an income of $42,500, ($42,000/$100,000 = 42%/5yrs. = 8.4% per year for 5 yrs., of the home's original purchase price.) This represents an increase in the community's assets. It is not planned that the community would ever need to levy a property tax, unless it is on unused Development Rights, and it is planned that citizens of the community will be exempt from sales taxes.

     The rationale for this property sales tax is that real estate values rise primarily due to the character and services of the town itself, not simply due to the business acumen, or sterling character of the individual property owners. Thus, it is reasonable for the town as a whole to also profit from increased values. By this and other means we intend to eliminate the need for any village property taxes, and to also discourage property speculation which un-naturally inflates value. EcoVillage ownership of the utilities will also help keep living costs low while adding to the town coffers.

     The crucial point is that a town should be a generator of community wealth, rather than a place for outside speculation, and not a drain on the resources of its citizenry. An EcoVillage, which is dedicated to socio-economic equity and the financial well being of its citizens, should be operated in such a way as to eliminate the need for taxes on all developed property. It should be unnecessary for the community to ever float a municipal bond issue, or otherwise make an interest-bearing loan for any purposes. The community's economic structure should rapidly produce a wealthy town that always be able to finance its projects through its own funds.

     Other possible methods for discouraging speculation can be:
      a. a yearly community tax on unused Development Rights (DR's) rather than on
those developed with structures,
      b. limit the number of un-built Development Rights that can be held by any individual or corporation,