A New Housing Concept in Ajijic Rancho La Salud Village

A New Housing Concept in Ajijic

RanchoLa Salud Village

By Rick Cowlishaw

This beautiful home is part of a new cohousing concept community at Lake Chapala.

There are many reasons why people come to Lakeside and seek out a place to live here. This great location has many positives: a low cost of living, better value for retirement dollars, warm, sunny climate that is comfortable all year, largest English-speaking expat community in the Western Hemisphere, easy driving access to the US — one day to Texas, excellent, affordable medical care and easy direct flights from Guadalajara to Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago.

Lake Chapala's north shore is dotted with charming and peaceful towns where approximately 7,000 North Americans (in winter the estimates go as high as 15,000) reside in a string of former fishing villages.

Although the lake measures 55 by 11 miles wide, most of the expatriates live within 20 miles of one another in or near the north shore towns of Chapala, San Antonio, Ajijic, San Juan Cosalá, El Chante. With a near-perfect climate, cobblestone streets, flowering trees, year-round growing season, lush mountains, tranquil lifestyle and low cost-of-living, Lake Chapala has become a popular destination for foreign visitors and retirees.

The additional reasons that people pick a gated community as a place to live at Lakeside in or near one of the villages including:

•        Beautiful homes

•        Gated grounds with security

•        Clubhouse and common areas

•        Pool

•        Gym

•        View of lake and/ or mountains

There are other checklist items retirees would like to have, but which are not available in most gated communities.

•        A village atmosphere to encourage knowing all neighbors, an old-fashioned neighborhood.

•        Community facilities that promote interaction and relaxation

•        A place for residents to work together for the common good

•        Extensive walkways that connect people to each other and to lush gardens

•        Self-sufficient homes with no monthly electric bills

•        An emphasis on health, education and learning

•        Adventure

•        Edible landscaping with an organic community garden

•        Aging in place

•        Leaving a legacy

The Village as Cohousing

Cohousing is an approach to neighborhood design that significantly enhances the sense of community. Pioneered in Europe, the concept has spread to numerous countries, including some 250 completed communities in the United States.

(Left:) Houses in an individual community often feature views of the mountains and the lake. (Right:) Homes built at Lake Chapala feature broad expanses of windows to let in the natural light.

The website Cohousing US explains, "Cohousing communities are old-fashioned neighborhoods created with a little ingenuity. They bring together the value of private homes with the benefits of more sustainable living. That means common facilities and good connections with neighbors. All in all, they stand as innovative answers to today's environmental and social problems."

The site map of Rancho la Salud shows how the homes are located along a central walking path.

Cohousing is part of a community by design. The residents design the way they live together, the way they make decisions, the guidelines they follow, and the way they will manage themselves.

There are a handful of characteristics that typically differentiate cohousing from other new-style neighborhoods. We are applying some of these concepts liberally to our village. We plan to maximize the physical (dwellings and common facilities) design and social benefits, while minimizing the administrative and maintenance requirements. Our extensive experience with designing and living in cohousing is being called into place to maximize the benefits for the residents of Rancho La Salud Village.

Pedestrian walk

The central pedestrian walk connects all of the homes, the common house (club house), the gardens, the workshop, the orchard and other spaces held in common. The residents use the walkway to go home, and to go anywhere in the community.

In this concept you bump into your neighbors all the time. Cars are left on the perimeter and homes do not have attached garages. This concept leaves more room for people and landscaping. We have thought of many concepts to make life easier. Electric carts are available to bring groceries to our home. And should an emergency occur, emergency vehicles are permitted on the pedestrian walk, as are moving vans.

Mail

Going to the common house to pick up mail can take some time since you'll meet a neighbor or two at the mailboxes and some others along the way. Of course you'll stop to chat a while. Don't be surprised if it regularly takes up to half an hour to pick up your mail.

Front porches

All homes have front porches that face the walk. If you sit outside on your porch to relax or read, neighbors will join you just to talk and socialize. If you offer them a glass of wine, the crowd doubles. You have an instant party!

(Left:) A beautiful fountain is the centerpiece of the multi-purpose Common House. (Right:) What a great place to relax — visit with neighbors on the front porch.

Kitchens

All the kitchen sinks face the walk, so you can see who is going by. You'll find yourself calling out to neighbors on the walk to ask a quick question or just say hello. The more private areas of each home are on the side opposite the front porch.

Common House

We'll have one or several meals a week at the common house as social events. We'll have movie nights at the common house. We'll have a Jacuzzi and an exercise warm pool for more socializing and meetings to plan new projects to improve the community.

We are carefully planning the physical layout and orientation of the buildings to encourage a sense of community. For example, the private residences will be clustered on the site, leaving more shared open space.

Common Facilities

The common facilities are designed for daily use, are an integral part of the community, and are always supplemental to the private residences. Our 

common house will include a common kitchen, a coffee bar, dining area, sitting area, laundry, exercise room, and two guest rooms.

There is additional property held in common for a community garden, a warm water exercise pool, the Jacuzzi, walkways and a parking area. We have also planned a conference center where talks, lectures and classes will be offered to residents and others in the area. Many of the talks will be offered free. The residents may use the conference center when it is not scheduled for another event.

How the Village Works

The village is similar to other cohousing projects: the residents will plan the goals and operations of the community together. They will have some meals together, work together; have planned social activities together while improving the village.

Unlike typical cohousing, we intend to reduce the amount of hands-on participation in maintenance. With labor inexpensive in Mexico, we'll leave that to others while providing jobs for Mexicans and freeing up time for the residents. Included in the dues are the guards who protect the complex, the village manager, the maintenance repair man and the gardener.

We will still participate in community management. Residents are encouraged to be involved in community interests, such as the preparation of common meals, meeting to solve problems, or developing policies for the community.

Sustainability at Rancho La Salud

We have designed Rancho La Salud Village to a high level of self-sufficiency with as little impact as possible to the surroundings. Sustainability is about how we live and our social structure. This Village will function as a community where people will want to live and a community will perpetuate itself as villagers become bonded to each other.

Part of the Lake Chapala Rancho La Salud concept is to make the footprint of community as light as possible. To achieve that goal, homes will have solar electric systems and water heating systems. With this area's number of sunny days a year, owners won't worry about those utility bills.

Heating and Cooling

All buildings are designed to heat and cool themselves. All hot water heating is provided by the sun. Each home produces its own electricity. The home shares its electrical production with the local electrical company so that the total electrical cost is zero.

Water

We will harvest rainwater from the roofs to be filtered and used for drinking water. Gray water from showers and bathroom sinks is used for watering the landscape. The landscaping is organic with no use of pesticides or herbicides. We are planning to provide hot water for the bathing pools from solar panels.

Lighting

All the homes will use natural daylighting, energy-efficient lighting, energy-efficient appliances, and water-saving fixtures. We are building the homes from carefully selected local materials.

Transportation

As time passes more of our cars will be electric/gasoline hybrids. We'll reduce our auto use by riding the local bus, bicycling and using electric vehicles. On-site golf carts for transporting goods from the parking to the houses are all electric. We are setting our goal to recycle 70% of our waste.

Green Building Standards

We plan to meet the US LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system for homes, even though LEED is not yet offered in Mexico. We also plan to meet the standards for several green programs from different areas of the United States including the NAHB Green Building Program. This program gives guidelines which we have tried to follow.

Site Plan

The village is oriented to "people use" rather than to autos, and becomes a much quieter peaceful community with people gathering places such as sitting benches, the raised fountains and small pullouts for carts. The pedestrian path serves as a place to walk, a place to stroll after dinner and meet neighbors, and place to exercise (running, walking and bicycling). It feels like living in a park, where we can stroll and be in nature.

The Residences

The residences will be modest in size, between 1700 to 2150 square feet (158 to 200 square meters), in keeping with our goals of maximizing efficiency, reducing materials and energy use, and sharing extensive common facilities. We have designed the homes to feel less formal and be more functional, while providing a spacious connection with the outdoors and landscaping.

Using the principles of cohousing to enhance community interaction, the floor plans are arranged to encourage visual connection with those on the pedestrian walkways. Numerous features like over-sized doors and handicapped adaptable bathrooms will make it easier to "age in place".

The designs include two- and three-bedroom models. The average price range is estimated at $240,000 to $280,000 US. And remember if you are comparing the cost per square foot with other homes, our added features will typically add up to 20% more value.

It's important to also remember that the home price includes ownership of extensive common facilities that add to each home's value. Each home has Green features that are an "up front" investment but which will assure minimal ongoing utility expenses. The other expense will be monthly owners' dues of approximately $200 US. These fees cover all garden and grounds maintenance, upkeep of all the common facilities, personal maid service four hours a week, and maintenance of the exteriors and roofs of all homes. These features are not normally included in other gated communities.

The Clubhouse/common house

We are currently remodeling the existing residence on the site into the community clubhouse. This building is the heart of the community where the residents can gather for a variety of activities. It has a kitchen, a dining room/meeting room, a coffee bar, a serving bar, a living room/TV area, a courtyard/atrium, a gym, mailboxes, information board, two guest bedrooms and 2 baths. The bedrooms may be used by guests visiting community members. The common house can be rented for lectures and workshops.

Community Garden

The community garden in the village is a place for us to raise our own organic vegetables; it's a way to get to know each other better as we can work together. We try to work in groups of two, and to share our work and experiences. Visitors walk by our growing areas on the way to the common house, and see how well our garden is growing.

Our garden actually extends to fruit trees scattered throughout the project on common property. There is nothing like fresh vine-ripened tomatoes or sweet bananas off the tree. We will be farming across the street in the large greenhouse and other outdoor areas. It is great to grow produce in a climate year-round! We intend to grow more than we can eat, and to sell the surplus in the organic produce shop in the front of the complex and at the farmer's market in Ajijic on Tuesdays.

Gardening has many benefits. We put our hands in the soil, which provides a connection to where our food comes from. Most of vegetable growing is a yearly cycle with the promise of rebirth and growth every year, a positive experience. The bending and lifting of garden work provides exercise for us. When this is done organically, we eat healthy and nutritious food. When we garden with our neighbors, we visit and connect. The more food we produce for ourselves, the more self-sufficient we become.

Conference Center

Our master plan includes a conference building with a rooftop palapa (thatched-roof shade) and to be used for lectures and workshops. Visitors attending larger conferences may stay at the common house or at available homes within the community. The entire common house may be rented and the visitors may use the community spa. The spa, the conference center, the common house and the available rental homes will bring in extra income for the community.

Currently, we are using the common house facility for hosting focus group presentations, architectural design meetings and visitors reception. We are also planning to host the initial lecture series soon. Lifetime learning is integral to living a full, interesting and healthy life. We want this to be part of our community and part of our lives.

Shops

We plan to have three small shops which are important to our community. The retail shops will provide products and services to the residents. There are four other gated complexes nearby from which to draw clients. The shop owners can take the products to them by carrying produce in the back of trucks directly to these and other communities. In our community they can walk door-to-door and the residents can walk down to the shop.

Food Shop

There will be a food shop to sell organic produce both from the greenhouse and community garden. It will sell products made by community members (jelly, jam, pies, breads, canned goods, herb-seasoned oils and vinegar. There will be a place in this shop for art work created by the community members. This would include watercolors, oils, pottery, silver, soap and jewelry).

Laundry Shop

The laundry shop will provide washing, drying, and ironing of clothes. In our village, the clothes will be picked up and delivered for each residence. Part of this service includes ironing. Just imagine setting your laundry out, then getting it back, ironed, and on hangers two days later.

Wellness Shop

The wellness center and shop will have a visiting nurse and a visiting doctor. It is a place we can learn about preventive medicine and where we can learn about "wellness". This might include a small pharmacy.

Health

Concentrating on good health; it is all about living healthier and living longer. We want to emulate the living practices of long-life communities.

Education and the Multiversity

The village will be a prototype for a new adult educational approach known as MultiversityMex. This non-profit organization will provide an interesting and enjoyable context for adults (young and mature) to develop higher levels of awareness of themselves and the human condition. Utilizing guest educators and an interactive approach, classes will focus on enriching life by making it more meaningful and purposeful. The initial curriculum will provide a broad-based integral and holistic approach by exploring four major tracks: health, sustainability, community living and spiritual development.

The Multiversity's operation will bring small groups of interesting people to conferences, lectures and workshops. These are open to our residents at no cost or low cost. We can meet new people, learn new information, increase our knowledge and share our wisdom. There will be several informal talks for the residents and visitors to create more understanding about ourselves, community, and our health, our various cultures with emphasis on Mexico and the Mexican culture. It is our way of being a supportive good neighbor to ourselves and to the world at large.

Adventure

We are reinforcing the adventure of moving to Mexico by learning the Mexican culture, learning Spanish and being a resident of a very special village. It will be a fun and exciting place to live.

Affordability

We are incorporating affordability with shared ownership. (Two master bedrooms, some homes with casitas). We are also building residential suites similar to one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments which cost about one-half of the homes.

Aging in Place

The homes are designed to incorporate Universal Design so the homes are accessible to people of all ages and abilities. This allows community members to age-in-place comfortably among friends as they become older.

By helping create a community from the ground up, the residents of La Salud Village have the opportunity to enjoy a return to the comfort, friendly neighborhood conversation and feelings of security of old-fashioned neighborhoods.

Leaving a Legacy

We will be creating a special unique village from scratch, the first of its kind. The village itself will be an example to others who want to create other similar communities. There will be a plaque honoring those who created the community in the common house. Rancho la Salud Village will be perpetual, will be improved over time, and will provide an example over decades. It is not just about now, but it is about the future and what continues on in the decades to follow.

Putting It All Together

We worry about peak oil, the time when oil demand outstrips supply, driving up prices of oil, gasoline and all related products. This could have a large negative impact on us and becoming more self-sufficient reduces that impact. Now, let's put it all together by designing a new green gated community.

Designing the Community

We begin by designing a gated community and then build on it layer by layer. We begin with residents who want to know their neighbors. They want to be "in community", to plan together, to work together, to visit together, and to play together. We are designing this community to enable and encourage neighbors to interact. And we build houses to be as self-sufficient as possible and we plan to improve this over time. We will foster good health and practice what we already know from communities where people live longer. We will grow much of our own food organically. We will have the opportunity to exercise at the gym, walk and bike. We will continue with our education both in and outside this community. We will learn about Mexico and its people and embrace its culture. We will incorporate Universal design so it fits the needs of everyone and is accessible. We will make the community as affordable as possible.

The Major Difference

We are offering community, neighborhood and sustainability. We are fostering a lifestyle that improves and enhances the lives of all who live here. Creating an extended family where we care about each other is one of the benefits. Our residents share the common goals of cooperation, self-sufficiency, health, education, and living lightly on the land. We are striving to age gracefully in place. Most other gated communities here do not offer these things in this way.

We want to know our neighbors and work toward our common good. We will share the common goals of community, sustainability, health, and learning. We want it to be a community that fits our needs as we grow older. In the end we blend all these goals into homes and community. This type of community can be achieved now. This community is now near you here at Lakeside. Come join us in our dream. We can dream together and make it our reality!

These amenities have not been offered in a single Lakeside gated community…until now. At Rancho la Salud Village we are in the beginning stages of building this dream community with these features and benefits. We're now ready to invite others to join us in develop this exciting project. Please see our website http://rancholasaludvillage.com/

For additional information, phone Rick Cowlishaw at (376) 766-2789. If you are in the US, call (303) 317-6325.

This article was originally published by Mexico Insights in the May 2012 issue of  Living at Lake Chapala (http://www.mexico-insights.com)  and is reprinted here with permission.