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WELCOME HOME! |  |
Higher Ground is a 15-year old co-housing community located in NE Bend on 7 1/2 acres, half of which has been retained as open space, including community-owned gardens, orchard, pond, play area, meadow, common house, and native landscaping. Many of our 31 private homes include innovative "green" building features such as: straw bales, energrid panels, structural insulated panels, recycled materials, solar design and others. Our neighborhood is 1 mile from St. Charles Medical Center, 2 bikable miles from shopping, 3 miles from downtown Bend, and 3 blocks from a new elementary school and soon to be completed Community Park. Public transit nearby! Our 90 or so residents range in age from 1 to 83, including several sets of inter-generational families, and lots of kids. Our adult residents include a variety of environmentally-aware educators, health & wellness professionals, non-profit consultants, active retirees, etc. As with all co-housing communities, most of us are eager to know and be of help to our neighbors. In addition to various seasonal celebrations, we share at least one meal together a week in our beautiful kitchen/dining addition to our common house. We are governed by CC&R's and bylaws, managed by a board of directors made up of resident volunteers, and involve the community in important decisions. For more about the concept of co-housing, see www.cohousing.org Homes become available for sale or for rent periodically. Homes range from 1100-2400 sq. ft. We also rent two rooms in our common house, though they are currently occupied, for $300/month. A few lots remain unbuilt, and though currently not for sale, might become available. Please review the questionnaire below to self-assess your suitability for living in co-housing. Are We A Match -- Higher Ground and You?? Start finding out by taking this questionnaire! If you answer yes to more than 15 of the following questions, Higher Ground may be a good fit for you. 1. Do you like the idea of getting to know your neighbors as friends? 2. Do you enjoy potlucks and like the idea of cooking for neighborhood dinners? 3. Would you be willing to contribute to the governance of your neighborhood by serving on the association board or committees (Landscaping, Design Review, Celebrations, Meals,…)? 4. Would you enjoy participating in community workdays a couple times a year to help common areas and facilities look their best? (Weeding, trail & pond maintenance, community house repairs, cooking…) 5. Would you enjoy caring for your neighbors’ pets and appreciate them caring for yours? 6. If you have kids, do you like the idea of exchanging childcare with your neighbors? 7. Would you like to help maintain our lovely community house? 8. Are you comfortable with dues of $64 per month to help your neighborhood be a great community? 9. Do you like the idea of helping neighborhood kids grow up healthy and happy by organizing activities and offering compassionate discipline when needed? 10. Do you like the idea of helping senior neighbors grow old gracefully by lending a hand? 11. Would you enjoy chatting with your neighbors along community paths? 12. Might you enjoy being a part of a community garden or orchard? 13. When you see a problem in your neighborhood, do you think, "How can I help improve this? 14. Do you like the idea of shared community open space (pond, meadow, orchard, native habitat, gardens) and helping to care for it? 15. Are you comfortable with houses close together, in order to protect more community open space? 16. Might you sometimes enjoy celebrating holidays with your neighbors? 17. Do you want to be part of a community dedicated to reducing its environmental impact? 18. Are you comfortable lending and borrowing tools, cars, outdoor equipment, etc with your neighbors? 19. Do you like the idea of going hiking, camping, biking, rafting….with your neighbors? 20. Do you enjoy organizing such activities? The bottom line is: for Higher Ground to be a special neighborhood, we need residents who are eager to roll up their sleeves and enjoy the work and activities that make it a great place. Higher Ground, like democracy, is not a spectator sport! So, are we a match? If you think maybe, we invite you to attend a community meal, board meeting, or simply stroll around our unique neighborhood and talk to folks. Is Bend, Oregon a fit for you? Bend is a rapidly growing city of about 70,000 with a diverse economy, straddling the lovely Deschutes River where the Cascade Mountains meet the high desert of Central Oregon. It serves as the regional center for government, medicine, commerce, and the arts. While rapid growth brings challenges, it also provides employment opportunities, lively politics, and a flourishing arts scene. Bend is blessed with a stellar park & trail system and a strong (though stretched) school system. While some natural areas are over-used, a modest drive provides abundant opportunities for solitude in numerous National Forests, State Parks, and on public BLM lands. A startling array of outdoor opportunities are available in a wide variety of settings from mountain lakes to desert rivers. Higher Ground residents, like most Bendites bike, hike, canoe, kayak, ski, climb, camp, backpack, raft, fish, ....as well as write, meditate, worship, sing, play music, dance.... |
Contact Nancy Baker at 541 385 9972