Marenal

  • Community
  • 2 followers

About the Community

  • Established
  • Town/Small City

What we do

We are a sustainable, intentional, gated agricultural community based on libertarian, voluntaryist principles. The number of our members/partners is limited. Each partner owns a registered lot of at least 5,000 sqm and a proportionate share of our community and commercial properties. Our governance form is Sociocratic. We are self-managed by our Marenal Partner Association and its General Council. The concept of our community was created by Franz Xaver Meier, our founder. His background is detailed in the introduction of our website, marenal.com

Our mission is to advance our principles by setting a positive example for future generations and by preserving and promoting our ecological and intellectual assets. We are guided by our respect for the native ecosystem and its rich biodiversity, and we strive to….
move towards self-sufficiency by growing our own food, supplying the community with chemical-free water from our own well, using renewable energy, and other ecologically sound resources, whenever possible.
protect and restore our environment by minimizing our footprint, and by promptly remedying any unavoidable impact.
provide educational opportunities for our residents and the broader community.
inspire mentorship and collaboration with the local community by sharing the knowledge, experience, and talents of our partners.
promote our intellectual and physical well-being through literature, education, history, science, the arts, a healthy lifestyle, and spirituality.
become a well-functioning Sociocratic Community.

Our Vision

“Peace, Freedom, and Pura Vida” expresses our belief in self-ownership, personal responsibility, property rights, the non-aggression principle, the right of self-defense, peaceful dispute resolution, freedom of association, the advocacy of the principles of Voluntaryism, the importance of education, and the right to a happy life.

 

Our Mission

“Peace, Freedom, and Pura Vida” expresses our belief in self-ownership, personal responsibility, property rights, the non-aggression principle, the right of self-defense, peaceful dispute resolution, freedom of association, the advocacy of the principles of Voluntaryism, the importance of education, and the right to a happy life.

 

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • 122 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
122

How to join

After submitting the Compatibility Assessment and receiving Community approval, the potential member/partner will be invited to visit and select a property. If he decides to purchase, he must accept our guidelines, rules, and regulations, and agree to repurchase rights before we proceed to the contract and to closing.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Fill out our Compatibility Assessment and make a reservation.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Governance structure

  • Sociocratic/Circle-Based

Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Monthly fees/dues: $100
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Library, Swimming pond or pool, Outdoor Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Swingsets & play areas, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • Rarely

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a single individual, couple, or Family Trust

Setting

  • Town/Small City

Smaller municipalities with local services but rural character.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Wind
  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Biomass (from wood or other organic materials)

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    22.4 hectares

Reviews

Our Community Members

Location

  • Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Marenal

Promoted Needs and Offers

Offer
Need
  • Communities with Openings
6 months ago

Oak Park Commons Cohousing – Plan to Move in Fall 2025

Illinois’ first cohousing community fosters intergenerational connection, diversity, and inclusiveness. We welcome all those who share our vision of creating a sustainable residential community in a vibrant urban suburb. Oak Park Commons Cohousing seeks new members. Join the dozen households that have already helped plan and design a five story, 24-unit building near the commercial heart of Oak Park, Illinois. The building includes a mix of one, two, and three, bedroom ADA accessible units. A package friendly first floor mailroom adjoins the lobby, elevator, and parking entrances. Noise mitigation and energy efficient air conditioning assure year-round comfort. The Carpenter & Madison streets corner location includes within a pedestrian friendly half mile radius: a middle school, bus stop, grocery co-op, drug store, bank, CTA train station, Unity Temple, Rush Hospital, Fox Park, Mills Park, and many restaurants. Madison has traffic calming and bike lanes. The Village commercial center, barely a mile away offers the Lake Theatre Cinema, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Formula Fitness Center, Public Library, Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, and specialty retail and service shops. Oak Park includes excellent K-12 schools. Lincoln public elementary school offers an optional Spanish bilingual program, Gwendolyn Brooks middle school’s wonderful performing arts opportunities and OPRF high school’s great college and career prep. Eight two and three bedroom units are still available for purchase starting at $406,640. Buyers pay a five percent earnest fee when signing a purchase agreement that goes toward down payment at closing. Units available for occupancy starting the last week of October 2025. Visit our website and talk with some of our members to learn more about who we are and how we envision building our community together.   Website: https://oakparkcommons.com/ Contacts: Charles Hoch 708-721-8817; Susan Stall 708-772-8817
Need
  • Communities with Openings
11 months ago

Water Birch Co-op. Urban living in central Denver.

Large, lovely house built in 1900, two blocks from Cheeseman Park in downtown Denver.  5000 square feet. The house was a Buddhist Meditation Center for 20 years before we got it and has lovely, calm vibes. We currently have ten people and have room for one more. We are an intentional community sharing dinners, 3 living rooms, 2 new kitchens and a kitchenette, & 5 baths. Staple food (organic) is bought together. The group is self-regulating as a co-op; it decides together how the house runs. There are chores ;-) Average cost per room is about $1000 ranging from $650 to $1354. Currently available room is $875. We are just finishing renovation of three bedrooms on the third floor  they are $875 each and share our largest, newest bath (shower and separate claw foot tub) and a brand new kitchenette  they all have beautiful windows and lots of light. PLEASE CHECK OUT COMMUNITY LISTINGS FOR MORE INFO. Initial lease for 3-6 months while we and you decide if we are a good fit for each other.  Deposit in the amount of one months rent is required prior to move in.  We do background checks on all members. Utilities are currently $130 per person per month and are all-inclusive.  They will change if costs go up, that amount is insufficient to cover utilities, or more people mean the cost per person goes down.  WiFi is via mesh network from gig-speed fiberoptic service.  Heat is with radiators.  Cooling is evaporative.  We have a storage room in a nearby commercial facility.  And a new large workshop in the garage. Shared food is $125 per month per person; it is a pass-through cost divided evenly among residents; it does NOT include meat or alternative protein nor any alcohol.  We will not be surprised if that needs to go up some soon ($10 or 15). We have two dogs and three cats in the house  that seems like a sufficient quantity of furry friends for now. Our community intentions include: Communication with compassion. Shared space and life. Shared meals. Shared staple foods which are non-GMO and Organic. Group decision making. Safe, inclusive space: queer and trans friendly, anti-racist, non-violent, and feminist. The purchase of the house by the co-op in about five years. The expansion of the co-op, possibly to include other housing types (like separate apartments). Weekly meetings and house committees to manage our community. We are considering implementing Sociocracy as an organizing method. Quiet hours are from 10:00pm to 8:00am. We are looking for community members who: Want to live in a community not just have a place to sleep and eat. Want to live in a beautiful, clean, and organized house and are willing to help make and keep it that way. Residents should expect to spend 16 hours per month towards this goal. Are curious, compassionate, flexible, and open to living with others who will undoubtedly have different ideas about many things. Are interested in pioneering a new co-op. There will be work involved to get there. Are responsible and communicative. Embrace enthusiastically that living in community requires introspection and personal growth. Are not joining the community as a way of running away from something.

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