Understanding the EcoVillage at Ithaca

The EcoVillage at Ithaca (EVI) is a 175-acre cohousing community located 2.5 miles from downtown Ithaca, New York (Dregger 2015). According to the Cohousing Association of America, a cohousing community is a community that has been designed to encourage interaction and connection between neighbors through the shared community spaces located between their private residences (Cohousing Association of America 2022). The EcoVillage consists of three smaller, 5-acre neighborhoods that support the ideals of being a sustainable, accessible, and affordable community. Each neighborhood is made up of privately owned residences, approximately 100 residences in total, as well as play areas, community gardens, a community center, and access to large open spaces and native wildlife conservation areas. The EcoVillage at Ithaca also contains four working organic farms on site (Palmer and Powell 2014; L. and Rayne 2021).

Location: Ithaca, New York 14850

Climate Zone: Humid Continental

City character: A college town that is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College. Ithaca has a population of approximately 30,000 people and boasts about having the comfort of a small city with all of the luxuries that can be found within the big city environment (City of Ithaca 2020).

 History of Site/District: The site was historically used for agriculture but was acquired by a developer who went bankrupt in the early 1990s. The developer initially had plans to develop the land into traditional 1-acre lots with a minimum of 10% of greenspace (L. and Rayne 2021).

What was the process for transformation? Who were the key agencies, clients, investors, change-makers, planners, and/or designers?

·         Liz Walker and Joan Bokaer Co-Founders of EVI, Inc., a nonprofit to run and organize EVI

·         Jerry and Claudia Weisberg, a local Architect and developer.

·         Numerous investors and donors - many are residents of the development

·         The Farm CSAs

When the previous owner (a developer) went bankrupt, the land went up for auction, and they made an offer at half of the price ($400,000) for the open farmland that was waiting to be developed. It took two weeks to fundraise the infrastructure to purchase the land in cash. They held a 5 day charette with about 100 people in 1991 to decide on what to do with the land. They wanted to do the opposite of the typical residential model and build houses on 10% of the Land. This even untraditional in eco villages where a more spread out form is common, but this is a cohousing model intended to replicate villages from Europe, Africa, and Asia. They hired Jerry Weisberg, a local Architect and developer for $6000 to assist with the building and development because of his connection and experience with housing cooperatives. During the planning process, the key stakeholders and leaders had to think like planners, architects, developers, lawyers, insurance providers due to its uncommon development within the United States. They initially planned for 500 people in communities of 30-40 people, but today they have 3 neighborhoods of about 100 households, about 230 people in total (L. and Rayne 2021).

The idea for the EcoVillage at Ithaca stemmed from a desire for a more walkable way of life, which led the community to be developed in tight-knit structures that pull the emphasis away from car dependancy. They also wanted to build the community with the latest and greatest technologies in mind, so that the village could be a model for innovation and sustainability. One of the largest limitations that they put on themselves was that they wanted to develop the housing on only 10% of the total area of their site and reserve the reaming 90% for greenspace, wildlife habitat, and farming. After purchasing the land in 1991, they closed on it in June 1992 and were able to begin work on the first neighborhood, FROG, which was completed in 1997. The other two, SONG and TREE, were completed in 2006 and 2014 respectively (L. and Rayne 2021).

The project was entirely funded by private investments and donations and the initial cost of the land was $400,000. The village nonprofit owns the land surrounding the neighborhoods and the infrastructure. Individual residents buy their own homes but they are actually buying shares into the housing cooperative, different amounts of shares exist for the different styles of homes. The residents pay a co-op fee (about $900 a month) that includes taxes, electricity, contracted amenities, infrastructure and home maintenance, and an investment into a capital fund for future maintenance, because of this, it is unusual for the individual homeowners to have out of pocket costs.

The farmland is owned by the village non-profit leased out for the cost of the taxes, which is intended to help out the farmers in exchange for operating as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) (L. and Rayne 2021).

·         Serve as an example of a cohousing community in the United States that is sustainable, accessible, and affordable so that people may “Live, Learn, and Grow” (The EVI motto)

·         Be a pedestrian oriented social neighborhood

·         Develop housing on 10% of the land and reserve the remaining 90% for wildlife habitat, open space, and agriculture

(Palmer and Powell 2014; EcoVillage at Ithaca 2022)

The EcoVillage at Ithaca is on 175-acres of land and has three 5-acre social neighborhoods with a total of 100 households. Each neighborhood is organized into its own housing co-operative with its own governing board that aims to guide the development of the neighborhood in the best interest of all residents. Individuals maintain the small private gardens near their residences and then there is a team of volunteers that maintain the landscapes around the common spaces including the community garden that is present in each neighborhood. The farmland is organized around the Community Supported Agriculture model in which the farm is privately owned and operated, but residents in the surrounding community are able to buy shares into the operation in exchange for being able to receive produce. Between the 4 farms and 3 community gardens, approximately 1,000 CSA shares are available and an additional 350 people in the broader Ithaca Community are able to have their food needs supported (L. and Rayne 2021; Palmer and Powell 2014).

The EcoVillage at Ithaca is highly praised by its residents and has been able to retain it’s members and survive for 30 years. EVI has become a model for how to develop and organize sustainable co housing communities all across the world (L. and Rayne 2021)

Environmental

o   Retains 100% of onsite stormwater

o   Generates less runoff than traditional residential subdivisions

o   Reduces the irrigation needs for turf grass by only having 3.62 acres of turf

o   Preserved 20 acres of woodlands and sequesters 43 tons of CO2 annually

o   Produces 60,000 kWh per year which provides power to 42% of the FROG neighborhood

Social

o   Increases the awareness for sustainable living practices through the tours given to the 1,000 annual visitors

o   Fosters social interaction between neighbors through the close placement of residences and the public shared spaces

Economic

o   Generates approximately $230,000 of revenue between two of its organic produce farms and provides enough CSA shares for approximately 1,000 people

o   Creates 7 full time job opportunities during the growing season, 2 full time jobs during the winter season and several seasonal jobs

·         The EcoVillage at Ithaca has demonstrated drastic reductions in resource consumption and an increase in overall site efficiency when compared to traditional subdivision developments

·         Despite it’s close proximity to the core downtown area of Ithaca (approx. 2.5 miles) the EVI is separated by steep topography which makes walking and biking difficult

·         The close proximity has caused concern from the Ithaca Fire Department and its ability to be able to service all of the homes in case of an emergency, despite the site meeting all fire codes

·         Gravel walkways have caused accessibility issues for some residents and visitors

·         It is possible for developments that utilize a smaller number of acreage for residence and a larger acreage for greenspace and shared spaces to succeed

 (Palmer and Powell 2014)

This case study can serve as an example for the community of Beatrice of how they can approach their current housing issues in a way that supports sustainability, accessibility, and affordability. While cohousing communities are untraditional and can be complex to organize, they tend to lead to a higher quality of life (L. and Rayne 2021). The development of cohousing communities within Beatrice can assist in the strengthening of community interaction, pride, and success, by promoting a lifestyle that relies on neighbors to work together and interact to create a richer experience in life.

The community of Beatrice is currently experiencing a housing crisis. There isn’t enough housing to meet the demand, and much of the housing that does exist is out of date and in need of repair or demolition (Beatrice Community Advisory Panel 2022). Studio project groups, Beatrice Developers, and community leaders can utilize the EcoVillage at Ithaca as an example for how to design, develop, and organize a cohousing community within a suburban area.  

·         Ithaca’s population is double the size of Beatrice’s

·         The EVI site is 10x larger than the largest school project site

·         The land and the development were privately owned

(City of Ithaca 2020; Palmer and Powell 2014; L. and Rayne 2021)

The EcoVillage at Ithaca has many promising features and characteristics that could be beneficial to the community of Beatrice and for the studio projects. However, it does have some limitations that would make it difficult to implement. With this being said, it could still be possible to take the EVI project and community and scale it down to a size that would be adequate for the Beatrice Community. The EVI can serve as a model for how Beatrice can move forward and approach its current housing crisis while also building in a way that supports sustainability and community development.

Beatrice Community Advisory Pannel. 2022. KSU Tab Meets with Beatrice CAP.

City of Ithaca. 2020. “Information for Residents.” The City of Ithaca - New York. 2020. https://www.cityofithaca.org/391/Information-for-Residents.

Cohousingg Association of America. 2022. “What Is Cohousing?” Cohousing Association of America. 2022. https://www.cohousing.org/what-cohousing/cohousing/.

Dregger, Leila. 2015. “EcoVillage at Ithaca.” Global Ecovillage Network, January 6, 2015. https://ecovillage.org/ecovillage-at-ithaca/.

EcoVillage at Ithaca. 2022. “Welcome to EcoVillage.” 2022. https://ecovillageithaca.org/.

L., Joey, and Summer Rayne, dirs. 2021. 230 People LIVING COMMUNALLY: TOUR of Ithaca EcoVillage - Ep 051. YouTube. Flock Finger Lakes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-uH36w9xg8&t=322s.

Palmer, Michele A., and Mujahid D. Powell. 2014. “EcoVillage at Ithaca.” Landscape Performance Series. 2014. https://www.landscapeperformance.org/case-study-briefs/ecovillage-at-ithaca#/project-team.