Because we are a community of families who participate in community life, we are looking for others who want to be a part of, and actively participate in, the community. We ask that you follow these procedures when applying for a place on the waiting list.

To see whether our community is the right one for you and whether your household fits into our community, an adult member of your household should attend five community events - two of those should be general meetings and one should be a social event. Your household may choose what type the other two are. All Rocky Hill members should make an effort to get to know your family, and your family should make an effort to meet each of us.

New households must read and agree to the official documents of the community - mission statement, consensus decision-making guideline, operating agreements and by-laws. The minutes from our general meetings are also available but you are not required to read all of them (and no one in their right mind would). When your household is ready to apply, contact us for an application form.

The community will then meet to consider your application. If approved your household will be added to the waiting list in the order that the completed application was received. There is a $25.00 fee (that is renewed annually to indicate continued interest).
Rights and Responsibilities of Waiting List households  
Once accepted for the waiting list, households are encouraged to continue to be as active as possible in community life. Waiting List members are required to come to one meeting/social event every six months. There is no work requirement. Waiting List households may not block the consensus process but are encouraged to weight in on the issues being discussed.

Email for more information and to arrange a tour/orientation Contact us


Front Lot Associate Membership
The Rocky Hill CoHousing membership has agreed that our community would benefit from having compatible neighbors living on the 5 lots on Black Birch Trail closest to Florence Road (aka the “front lots”) and that it would be very desirable for these households to be Associate Members of RHC. In other cohousing communities similar arrangements with close neighbors have evolved whereby households who desire to be affiliated with the community elect to live nearby, become Associate Members, and enjoy an ongoing relationship with the community. Some of these households remain on the community’s waiting list, hoping to “move inside” some day.
In our situation, Rocky Hill’s builder Doug Kohl has offered to allow us to market these five front lots so that RHC can find purchasers who are especially interested in being involved with our community

Front Lot Specifications:
There are five lots along a loop road that comes off Black Birch Trail (see map). Each lot will be owned privately and be subject to the zoning regulations of the City of Northampton. The owners must use Kohl Construction to build their house. If more than one household wants the same Front Lot, preference goes in the order of date on the completed Front Lot Applications.

Lots are priced from $107,000 to $135,000.  Lot #1 - $107,000; lot #2 - $115,000; lot #3 - $120,000; lot #4 - $130,000 and lot #5 - $135,000-SOLD.
Lot sizes range from 14,684 sq. ft. to 18,333 sq. ft. The topography is fairly flat.
You may use a Kohl Construction-approved design, or you may use one of the Basic Unit Designs that Coldham Architects has designed for us. Coldham Architects will not charge you for the design. You may have to pay an hourly fee for creating a set of drawing set(s) and for any customizations you add.
Estimate  $150 per square foot for the house plus the cost of the lot. This does not include architect fees, closing costs, decorative lighting fixtures or appliances.

Note: There are two additional smaller lots on Florence Road whose cost is $88,000. Rocky Hill has decided not to try to market those two lots. If you are interested in one of those, please speak directly with Doug Kohl. At some point the community will discuss Associate Membership for others in the neighborhood, but there are no guidelines for other types of Associate Members at this time.


Eligibility
Households will be eligible to apply for Front Lot Associate Membership and to purchase a front lot from Doug Kohl after attending a tour/orientation, two general meetings, and one social event. At that point they will be eligible to complete an application for Front Lot Associate Membership. Front Lot Associate Members are encouraged to participate in RHC committee work that they find relevant, both before and after moving in.
The Front Lot application will then be presented to the Core Members for consensus. After a Front Lot application has been approved by Core Members, we will give the household’s name/names to Doug Kohl. At this point Doug and the Front Lot owner/s will design and build the house without any more input from the RHC community. Households are encouraged to continue to come to meetings and social events and to generally stay active in the community.
Front Lot Associate Member may seek to become a Core Member and fullfill the requirements and apply for the waiting list for a home in the community.

Rights and Responsibilities of Front Lot Associate Members:
We appreciate that there are many reasons individual households may choose to become Front Lot Associate Members. Some may wish to be active in community social events such as gardening, maintenance of the grounds and facilities, etc., but not in regular meetings. Recognizing there likely will be many variations in the needs and desires of the Front Lot Associate Members that cannot be predicted, we offer the following general rights and responsibilities as a basic framework.
Rights of use:   
•    Front Lot Associate Members are invited to attend RHC general meetings and to serve on relevant committees. They may be active participants in meetings and contribute their perspectives to all discussions, including those involving consensus decision-making. Furthermore, they may participate in consensus by indicating their concurrence. However, they may not block consensus, as they are not legally core members/co-owners of RHC. Nonetheless, every effort will be made to give special credence to Front Lot Associate Members’ views on issues directly affecting them.
•    May take part in social events, common meals, community work days
•    May use common facilities (common house, play areas, green space) and participate in community gardens
•    Will purchase land directly from Doug Kohl and make design and building decisions independently of RHC

Responsibilities:
•    Will abide by all RHC rules, policies, and procedures while on RHC grounds
•    Will share in maintenance and upkeep of common facilities such as the common house
•    Will pay a monthly fee toward upkeep of common facilities (amount has not been  determined yet but is estimated to be between $50 and $85 a month depending on whether it includes trash and recycling)
•    Will be encouraged to participate on appropriate committees
 

Email for more information and to arrange a tour/orientation Contact us

Governance
Rocky Hill Bylaws
Rocky Hill Rules and Regulations
Design Review