Sustainable Community Living

Creating a Plan

We have been asked by several potential patrons to find a property currently on the market that would suit our needs and put a business plan together based on this property as a model so that it may be presented to investors.  This is a monumental task, but one we understand.  However, this investment by anyone should not be thought of in the old paradigm of economic investment, but one of personal well being.  While the property and it’s enterprises will earn revenue; it is important to understand that you are investing in your future well being.  A home, a community and the return on this cannot be measured in monetary units.  That being said we will begin to prepare a more formal business plan.

Ideal Traits for Community Property

If you are a Realtor, land owner or patron…below are some of the things we are looking for in a property. We are open to exploring properties that come close to meeting a few of these traits and understand it may take some time before such a property comes on the market. Please keep us in mind as properties become available. We are equipped with GPS, County Maps in our GPS unit, Soil Surveys, etc… Any other maps or information you have would be useful when referring to a particular property.

Size and Location

• A parcel (160 acres) or more in Mendocino County, CA. We are open to other dimensions (smaller or larger) depending on the nature of the property.
• Predominantly South facing slopes if the property is sloped.
• NOT directly on the main highways unless a large property. At least 30 miles from large towns, at least 20 miles from any interstate highway and at least 5 miles from secondary highways.
• Close enough to the coast (within 30 miles) to allow fishing & shellfish forays, as well as for gathering seaweed & kelp and ground shell (poultry supplement).
• Boarded by large tracts of undeveloped land such as public land, large ranches or timber tracts.

Farm Land

• Farmable land. No or little serpentine soils as defined by the Mendocino Soil Survey www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/mlra02/wmendo.html
• At least 50% of the property would be of a slope that it could be tilled or worked by hand (not morn than a 20%-30% slope).
• Zoned for agriculture or something that wouldn’t interfere with the keeping of livestock and growing crops.

Structures

• Standing structures that could be used as or qualify as agricultural.
• Properties that were once church or hunting camps with multiple cabins and structures. These properties would be usable to the buyer with limited code improvements or grandfathered in if possible.
• Multiple potential home/barn sites. These sites could be totally undeveloped, but must be of a slope that is practical.

Water/Natural Resources

• Multiple sources of water. Springs that are or could be developed. Creeks, river or lake that could be used for irrigation. Springs at higher elevations that could supply water below. Interested in seeing ground water surveys if you have them and water history records. What variation in GPM does the current well run in the dry season? Has it ever dried up? What size water tank exist and how old is it? Where are the sewer tanks active or abandoned on the property. If the property is on a river/stream are there pumping/irrigation rights that come with the property? Are there any restrictions to development by Fish & Wildlife along this riparian corridor that you are aware of?
• Standing timber that could be used for home development.Timber being defined as fir, pine, hemlock or redwood.If zoned for timber production I want to know how it is defined.Do you have maps from previous land owner that were filed for timber production?

Historic Use

• What was the historical use of the property? Was it a ranch, family home or undeveloped? Did a lumber mill or any business exist on the property at any time? Are you aware of any underground storage tanks, abandoned barns that was contained fertilizers/pesticides/fuel, or mechanic shops. If it was a ranch were dip vats used on cattle. If so where?