Our Mission, Vision & History
We are a small collaborative neighborhood of diverse individuals sharing friendship and support, while living in an ecologically responsible community.
We participate in consensus decision making, believing that everyone owns a part of the truth and that consensus leads to the strongest decisions.
Anne Fines, an educator in Putney for over forty years, imagined living in a small community within the village, vital within itself and contributing tothe life of thetown. As she shared her vision with others, a small group came together. Over time, they sought a property with three criteria: south-facing, easy access to the village, and relative privacy. Eventually they found 11.4 acres with a south-facing field, just off Main Street.
In the next stage of planning, Chip Greenberg, local architect; Michael Wells, general contractor and builder; and Adam Hubbard, engineer; joined in the project. We developed a site plan with three clustered units of three homes each, leaving wild the remaining eight acres of woods. Rick Derrig, a local excavator, cleared the land, saving topsoil for future use in the common garden, carefully placed to maximize sunlight.
With six owners building, two clusters rose in the meadow, each sharing a single cement foundation.* Every interior design expresses a unique collaboration of owner, architect, and builder, but the homes have a common façade. The owners developed a Book of Commons with guidelines for the community, based on consensus decision-making.
[To request a copy, please email elizabeth.christie42@gmail.com]