Some cool places to live.

There is an amazing new 50-60 home development in Ann Arbor, Michigan called Veridan at County Farm. The design of these homes is beautiful, they generate most of their own power, and they are part of a neighborhood designed to be walkable and foster community. These home are definitely in demand as well, with the smallest 1000 sq ft lofts already selling out despite the $400k list price. There are still some over 2000 sq ft townhomes available for around $900k each. Part of the cost of these homes is offset by the fact they include solar panels, geothermal heat, and electric car charging. According to their calculations, these things could save you $180k over a 30 year period.

Although very different than your typical suburban community, the developers didn’t really leave cars behind. Most of the houses have garages and they are all on streets despite the nice view above. Here is the layout of the community.

I understand the allure of being able to drive up to your house, but if you really want a walkable community that is connected to parks and business I think a shared parking area on the edge of the village is a must. Yes, you’ll be grumbling when it’s cold or raining, but on a nice days your kids will be able to play all around your house and you’ll be able to walk out the front onto a path and out the back into a garden.

Another cool place to live is the Ithaca Ecovillage. This was built in three stages starting about thirty years ago and is made up of 100 homes with 210 residents. This neighborhood has variety of houses built at different times but it uses many of the same building principles as Veridan just less cutting edge. The village generates half its power from solar and the houses are well insulated.

This village sits on 170 acres and offers much more in terms of green space and community gardens. The village encourages sharing and collaboration with multiple community houses and shared tractors and mowers. I’d like to learn more about this place and possibly a visit and longer article will come in the future.

I’ll end this article with an honorable mention for Altiar Ecovillage in Pennslyvania. Looks like a dedicated group of people is working hard to get this off the ground. Time for New Jersey to get in on the future. I think an even better version of a Veridian or Ithaca is possible. It’s just waiting for the right group of people to build it!