On Sunday, June 10th at Grace Episcopal meeting hall in north Asheville about 30 or so of met to hear more about the Altura Elder Cohousing project that came out of the conference at NCCCR  and the subsequent meetings of this group.

Some of the members of the core group for Altura and Paul Rollins, who is the liaison between the group and the developer presented information and answered questions for about 45 minutes. Some of the information shared is part of this email. See contact information if you have questions.

After the presentation, we had a lovely potluck, with lots of great food and gum drop candies decorating the tables.

ELDER COHOUSING COMMUNITY
At
ALTURA

The Altura Elder Cohousing will be located within the 220 acre resort community of Altura, just eight minutes north of downtown Asheville, NC. Site plans have been developed and road work within the Altura development began May 1.  Road work should be completed my mid-summer, followed by grading for the Town Center of Altura.  It is currently estimated that grading for the cohousing community should begin in late fall of 2007 and actual construction in the spring of 2008. Current plans for Altura’s elder cohousing community call for approximately 47 living units with about half single family homes and half as condos located in a three story building. The common house and most of the homes will have spectacular Smoky Mountain views.
 
The Altura cohousing community complex will be adjacent to the Altura Town Center on one side, and a 40+ acre nature preserve with walking paths on the other. Plans for the Town Center include a coffee shop, retail stores, full service fitness center, and other resort amenities. Throughout Altura, there will be an emphasis on green building.
 
The Altura Elder Cohousing Core Group has been meeting weekly for the several months and its numbers are growing at a steady pace. Sixteen members of the core group have made non-binding reservations for Altura and it is anticipated that a voting membership agreement will be ready late spring/early summer this year.

Those interested in learning more about membership in the Altura core group are invited to attend orientation meetings held one hour prior to regular core group meetings. Please confirm your plan to attend prior to meeting.
 
 The cohousing website is under development but some information about Altura can be seen at www.alturaproperty.com. Site visits at Altura can be arranged though Paul Rollins, the coordinator for Altura Elder Cohousing, who can also answer inquiries and provide more information.  He can be reached at proll5082(at)aol.com or 828-505-0144 (cell 520-429-4982).

VISION
We come together
with a concern for the earth,
a respect for the interdependent web of life, and
a desire to live to the fullest in harmony with our cohousing community and the larger world.

We choose to live together in a manner that models mindful connection, cooperation, and commitment.