Common Ground Ecovillage (formerly Hart’s Mill)

Description:

We are an agrarian intentional community: restorative in our agriculture, sustainable in our designs and practices, collaborative in our social and work life, and celebratory and creative in all that we do. Hart’s mill is an ecovillage, and deeply committed to regenerative, agrarian living.
COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION
Common Ground Ecovillage is an evolving community planned for a beautiful 112-acre expanse of fields, streams and woods located 10 miles west of Hillsborough in Orange County, NC. Our vision is to provide a tangible example of integrated ecologically, socially and economically sustainable ways of living for residents plus entrepreneurial partners and visitors. We also intend for it to be a model and educational resource for others who wish to forge similar endeavors. We seek to create a compact village-style rural housing cooperative with approximately 30 homes. Our goal is to establish a high quality of life while minimizing resource use and preserving the majority of the land in agriculture, woodlands, and open space. The initiative is being led by a group of local residents who intend to live at Common Ground Ecovillage. Common Ground has been founded with the intention of modeling integrated, low-impact approaches to residential development and land stewardship.
ELEMENTS OF OUR STRATEGY FOR COMMUNITY:
Adoption of the best site and building design principles and practices for reducing use of energy, water, and other resources; Management of the land for diversified food and timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, research and education; Opportunities for aging in place within a vibrant multi-generational community; Accessibility to flexible, affordable housing options; Onsite opportunities for farm and home-based employment; A high degree of self-sufficiency in food, fiber, and energy.
The size of our village allows us to know each other deeply, while nourishing social relationships, food production, employment opportunities, and shared facilities to meet many of our needs on-site. Our governance is sociocracy, and we welcome new members who would like to participate in making Common Ground Ecovillage a reality.
We achieved re-zoning in November, 2015, and we plan to break ground in 2021-22.