A housing cooperative is forming in the town of North Elba on 100 acres of undeveloped land, and the co-op seeks interested individuals to join the conversation about establishing a community.

A free information session is being held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7 at the Mirror Lake Beach House, 31 Parkside Dr. in Lake Placid.

The co-op’s mission is to build and maintain a sustainable community on Averyville Road. The purpose is to provide safe, decent and affordable housing for residents of an estimated 20 to 40 households.

A housing cooperative is the legal term for housing and land that is owned and controlled jointly by a group of people who have equal shares. Collective ownership in the land lends itself to the cultivation of pride and concern of property which result in a successful and sustainable community.

The co-op is governed by a board of directors: President Stephanie Sears; Vice President Martha Pritchard Spear; Treasurer David Genito; Secretary Dylan Urquhart; and directors Ellen Collins and Allegra Freier. The project is advised by Adirondack North Country Association and the Cooperative Development Institute.

The project is at the early stage of design, bid and construction. The location has been chosen.

We believe that finances should be no barrier to entry into the cooperative community, and we are exploring a variety of financial solutions so that shares in ownership will be affordable to ensure a diverse community.

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Core values

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– Safety and security: Our members understand that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure we have a safe and secure living environment for our community.

– Active and democratic participation: We are committed to the ongoing well-being of our co-op, actively participating in and openly communicating about the developments that affect the co-op and the environment.

– Fiscal sustainability: We are committed to maintaining a co-op that continually makes sound financial decisions about its future.

– Environmental sustainability: We conduct ourselves and co-op business in a manner that actively reduces our impact on the environment (minimizing environmental harm, maximizing long term environmental benefit.)

– Foresight and adaptability: Our decision-making is rooted in long-term thinking and also adapting to the evolving needs of our members and the community shared spaces.

– Respect and inclusion: We are a community that embraces diversity and treats each member with respect.

We believe it is important to provide attainable housing to eligible members.

Martha Spear

Lake Placid