This page is from before Kaleidoscope Village Cohousing was canceled in September 2011.
 

Welcome!

This is the web site created by and for future residents of Kaleidoscope Village in Austin, Texas.
Cohousing is a form of intentional neighborhood that balances privacy and home ownership with respect for nature and community living. If you are not already familiar with the concept, a good introduction can be found at cohousing.org. The more detailed Joining a Cohousing Community by Stephen Gold will help you understand the process of creating cohousing. Using Gold’s terminology, our current model is the hybrid developer-driven model (two of our longterm members formed KV Creation LP to purchase and develop the property on our behalf) and we are, as of mid-2011, poised to enter the “Building” stage.
Kaleidoscope Village will have 38 homes sharing six and a third acres.

• Private homes will have full kitchen, living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms and washer/dryer connections.
• Community members will share in the use of a central “common house” that provides facilities for group dining, recreation, childcare, private events, community events, cooking, laundry, exercise, sending and receiving mail and packages, guest rooms for overnight visitors, etc.
• Homes are clustered to preserve about half of the space as green space, which will be shared among members. We plan permaculture landscaping, including a fruit orchard and nut grove, and there will be many opportunities for organic gardening. An example of applying permaculture principles is shown at STAR School's web site.
• The homes and common house were designed using climate-appropriate architecture and will qualify as Five-Star Greenbuilder homes.

We welcome people in all lifestages - families, singles, seniors - and many different interests - personal growth, aging in place, organic gardening and/healthy living, and neighborliness. You are invited to meet with folks who are planning to live at Kaleidoscope Village. Click here for who, when, where.

Our Current Status

KV Creation has clear title to the land. Click here for Where is the construction site?

• We have City of Austin site plan approval.
• Architectural construction drawings are finalized except for minor changes still under consideration.
• The first phase of infrastructure, primarily involving drainage, has been completed.
• The developers have selected a builder and the contracting process is underway.
• The developers have selected an interim financing (construction loan) source and the application process is underway.
• The homes that will be built first are being determined [see "Timeline" below]; potential home buyers or lessees for all phases start by communicating their preference for unit type, number, and completion date. The menu tab above for "THE HOMES" has the Pre-construction PriceList attached for viewing or download from the list of attachment files at the very bottom of that page.

What Is Our Timeline?

In the current economy, that is hard to predict, but indications are that this is a good time to push forward. Interim construction funding is avaiable. The critical path item is pre-construction Earnest Money Sales Contracts and permanent mortgage financing availability for home buyers. Home buyers may use any lender they choose; however, new construction condominiums must first be "warranted" or "certified" by each mortgage company before they provide a mortgage for a home in that community. The developer is working with lenders to make mortgages available to home buyers. Also underway are unit reservations and earnest money sales contracts.