Cool Creek Cooperative Neighborhood

Mission: Create and sustain a neighborhood that respects individuality, provides the strength of community, and thrives through cooperation.

From www.ic.org/directory/cool-creek-cooperative-neghborhood/:

Cool Creek Cooperative Neighborhood is located just south of the village of Mesa, Colorado, on the north slope of Grand Mesa 33 miles east of Grand Junction. It is an area characterized by stunning natural beauty and diversity, fresh air, abundant water, and easy access to public land.

In 2012 a group of friends began discussing ideas for a neighborhood that embraced the qualities of the area but envisioned a different way of living there. A vision took shape that combined the best characteristics of rural living with the value of a highly functional community – natural beauty, environmental quality, and neighbors who care about the common good, sharing resources and working together so that everyone can live more simply and sustainably. This common vision led to a plan to create Cool Creek, a cooperative neighborhood that would offer a healthy balance between personal life and the benefits of community.

The neighborhood is situated on a 9½ acre parcel of land. There are 10 private lots that collectively occupy approximately 2½ acres of the parcel. Adjacent to the house lots there is a common area of approximately 1½ acres where various shared resources (gardens, orchards, tools, multi-purpose building) will be located. The remainder of the land (~5½ acres) will be left as open land to be enjoyed by all residents. Mesa Creek runs through the property, creating a rich riparian area that provides a wonderful place to walk, cool off, and listen to the sounds of moving water and wildlife.

Cool Creek is surrounded by a diverse landscape that includes pasture lands, scrub woodlands, forests, wetlands and streams. The area is home to a wide variety of wildlife and relatively few people. From the neighborhood there are panoramic views in all directions, highlighted by Grand Mesa, Castle Rock, and the Roan Cliffs. The neighborhood is near the village of Mesa (walking distance), while also being close (a few minutes’ drive) to Powderhorn ski area and Grand Mesa, described as “the world’s largest flat top mountain”.

While Cool Creek offers many outstanding physical qualities and recreational opportunities, it offers something more vital and increasingly rare in today’s world - the opportunity to participate in a cooperative community, where neighbors work together and share resources so that each person can live more fully and sustainably.

A service of the Data Commons Co-op. The project has been supported by Equal Exchange, the Cooperative Charitable Trust, the USDA, and many others - thank you! Tech volunteers over the years include: Benjamin Bradley with support from GAIA Host. Ben Mauer with support from Quilted. Paul Fitzpatrick. Ronin Tech Collective, Brattleboro Tech Collective, Sligo Computer Services. Jason Lemieux. Default map tiles courtesy of MapQuest. Default map data (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA.