Capacity Building Grant
As of January 10, 2025, the nonprofit aimed at sustainable affordable housing, Edgewood Ecovillage, has concluded their Capacity Building grant phase for their organization!
Around 9-10 acres of land in West Pubnico, NS was dedicated to Edgewood as a donation, plus new information came to light during this phase that reflected an update for future development, which is the ability–thanks to this Capacity Building grant–to get the property surveyed and subdivided so that Edgewood Ecovillage could own the property that has been donated to them.
The surveyor said that the lines had to be pulled from old records and markers, which revealed a slightly smaller front entry area to the property (setting it back 180 feet on this long but narrow plot).
Permaculture to the Rescue
Interestingly, it was a permaculture principle that helped in this regard. One popular saying in permaculture is that “the problem is the solution”. The problem was the land (it was too narrow, pushing back the lot line)… so the Board figured that the land problem was also the solution—the land is suited towards passive solar orientation, so just build higher rather than a broad swatch of single story buildings. One suggestion was that small units of 1-2 (rather than 3) bedrooms would suffice nicely rather than trying to squeeze too much construction into one area. The desire arose because a community centre is also desired (and required) for this intentional community.
The West Pubnico property is a beautiful and varied topography with mini climate zones, which allows areas of permaculture food forests and gardens. The slight (by only 1.5 acres) reduction of the land area at the front end was not that much of a loss overall.
West Pubnico Land
The land survey line had to be pushed back, according to the surveyor. This brought the acreage down to 8.5 acres owned by Edgewood. They explained that a factor regarding the land that Nova Scotia Environment required, which pushed back the subdivision line. This, in turn, reduced the buildable area to three main sections, the first of which is right next to the subdivision line, which is excellent.
After meetings with their Board and Project Manager (Tate Engineering), it was suggested that building higher (to 3 stories) to accommodate the 24-30 units, would be an option. However, the board ultimately decided to reduce the amount of units rather than make elders climb three sets of stairs. So the decision to build less units with no more than two stories max–including ramps to accessibility standards–would better serve future ecovillage members / tenants, especially for ages 50+.
When will Edgewood Ecovillage be Built?
In the end, the property is still a go as the future home for Edgewood Ecovillage and its residents.
Next step is to do our due diligence… to apply for the Planning phase so preliminary work can be done to ensure the new location will work as hoped. New stakeholders will be consulted as well. Very exciting!
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