On November 9th 2020, the Bridgewater Town Council unanimously approved the development agreement (DA) with Treehouse Village Ecohousing. Fifty-four Pearl Street will be the future home of a sustainable 30-unit collective residential development.
My first introduction to Treehouse Village came when friends reached out to share their big dream of building a cohousing community that would become the greenest neighbourhood in Nova Scotia. I wanted to help them make it happen. In order to build this custom neighbourhood, future neighbours would have to join as early as possible to finance the project and act as the developer - self-organize, collaborate, dream big, and work hard. Mike’s first reaction was, "Yes! Let's do it!"
My mind was buzzing with possibilities as I walked home from the info session. I was playing out my daily routine in my house and comparing it to life at Treehouse Village. It was clear we could do a lot more with less. The move would involve downsizing to a home with considerably less square footage but grant us more shared space, amenities, and community support than we could ever access on our own. I wondered: what might I be able to share and achieve in an intentional community where my neighbours are also committed to lightening their ecological footprint?
While we all are isolating at home, the pandemic hasn’t stopped Treehouse Villagers from strengthening our community. When Cate emailed with the invitation to take on the colour challenge, I was thrilled to see her family’s pink pose, but reluctant to join in. It was only after the “reply alls” filled my inbox from members stepping up to the challenge that I was nudged to play along.
