Concord Ecovillage

Quietly Searching

While our sister community Three Groves Ecovillage works to develop the land they have found, we will be continuing the search for land in Kennett Square PA, Newark DE, or the surrounding area. Be sure you check in with Three Groves Ecovillage often since things will be moving rapidly there. At the same time, don't forget about us. We'll let you know when we have found suitable land, and hope that you will join us on our Yahoo Group (join from the Favorite Links page) and here on the Blog from time to time.

Why the New Name "Three Groves Ecovillage"?

It is very common that when a Cohousing or Ecovillage group finds land, the group splits. There will be those who are willing to commit to the selected location and others who have different criteria. What is perfect to one, is not satisfactory to another. Commute to jobs and schools, desire to live in a certain area, or proximity to family are all factors that affect an individual’s decision to move on a property.

Since last fall, the members of Concord Ecovillage were faced with these issues when we started to focus our efforts on the property on Willow Street in West Grove.  Several members felt that after more than a year of searching for land, that it was our best option to complete our project in a relatively short time-frame.  Other members had hearts set on possibilities near Kennett Square, despite a likely longer time-frame for completion.  At the time, we decided to try maintaining both efforts under the umbrella of one group.  However, it became increasingly clear that eventually we would need two legally and financially distinct organizations once project development began to gear up.  That time has come.

We now have two separate legal and financial structures – Concord Ecovillage will continue to seek to build an ecovillage near Kennett Square PA or Newark DE, and Three Groves Ecovillage will build an ecovillage on the property northwest of the corner of Prospect Avenue (Rt. 841) and State Road in West Grove.  As sister organizations, hope to sponsor joint efforts in the future, and we look forward to a time when there are two ecovillages in southern Chester County.

So what members are in which group? For a time, the Three Groves Ecovillage Founding Members will be carrying memberships in both groups. Eventually, it will probably look like this:

Three Groves Ecovillage Founding Members:

·         Janet and Vic Pelletier (and kids Kira and Elise)

·        Anthony Aufdenkampe and Bonnie Dickson (and kids Lily, Ruby and May)

·         Lane and Leslie Travis

·         Debbie Dehghan

ConcordEcovillage Members:

·             Tom Hammer and Barbara Pizzala (Founders and Visionaries)

     Steve Welzer

Concord Ecovillage Secures Land!

Concord Ecovillage is extremely pleased to announce that 7.5 acres has been secured for an ecovillage a half mile south of downtown West Grove, PA, at the northwest corner of Prospect Avenue (Rt. 841) and State Road.  We are extremely enthusiastic about this property!  It has a perfect southern to south-western exposure for harvesting solar energy and is directly across the street from the new 85 acre London Grove Community Park.  It is a walkable half mile to the Library, post office, five restaurants, and other businesses in downtown West Grove, and also about a half mile to the public middle and high schools.  This property is a much better fit for us, in nearly every respect, than the property we considered this fall on the corner of Willow Street and South Guernsey Road.

The name of the neighborhood that we will build on this property will be Three Groves Ecovillage, in honor of the location in London Grove Township, bordering West Grove Borough, and within Avon-Grove School District.  Concord Ecovillage will continue, as a sister organization, to seek to build an ecovillage near Kennett Square PA.  Please read our full update, progress and event listings at www.ThreeGrovesEcovillage.org.

We have a number of upcoming events, and hope that you will join us for some of them:

Sat. May 16.  Visit us at London Grove Green Fair at the community park across the street from our property. Tours of the property will depart from our booth every hour on the hour.  10 am to 2 pm.

Sat. May 16.  Mid-Atlantic Cohousing Bus Tour.  For those of you who have already talked to us, know West Grove, but want to learn more about cohousing, this tour is highly recommended.  Make your reservations soon, there are only a few spots left!

Wed. May 27.  Presentation of site and development plan to London Grove Township Planning Commission.  7 pm. 372 Rosehill Road, West Grove PA

Wed. June 3.  Presentation of site and development plan to London Grove Township Board of Supervisors.  7:30 pm. 372 Rosehill Road, West Grove PA

Sun. June 7.  Public presentation of site and development plan, and monthly potluck. Location TBD, but check back on the calendar.

Help us refine our contact and email distribution list.  Over the last year our contact list has expanded to over 550 email addresses.  If you already received this message via email, you are on our list. If you would like to be on our list, please email us using the link in the margin and let us know. To help us communicate with you more effectively, please let us know to which of the following groups you belong:

• Potential Residents/Homebuyers in Ecovillage
• Municipal Officials/Staff
• Building and Design Professionals
• Local press
• Just interested

We hope to see you soon, and also hope that you will join us in this effort to bring an Ecovillage to Chester County!

All the best,

Concord Ecovillage and Three Groves Ecovillage.

http://www.concordecovillage.org and http://ThreeGrovesEcovillage.org