It Was a very good Year

When looking back at 2016, we at Prairie Hill have much to be grateful for. As member Carolyn Dyer has recently posted on our Facebook page, there have been many, many people and institutions demonstrating their support for this, the first cohousing community in Iowa. Here is a list of just a few happenings during the past year:

• The City of Iowa City approved the plans for Prairie Hill.
• Our land was cleared for development.

• The Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation District designated funds to be used for sustainable stormwater management in our project, including a bio-retention cell and soil improvement.
• In various ways, we have played around with future floor plans.

• The Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County and an anonymous donor have granted funds for down-payment assistance for three income-qualified households.
• We've spread the word about our future community and met wonderful people along the way.

• We are planning 15 homes that qualify us for a large Iowa Workforce Housing Tax Credit and a companion grant from the City of Iowa City.
• The Great Western Bank has approved our construction loan for this new-to-them and new-to-Iowa project.
• We have visited and studied prairies in preparation for planting our own.

• Uptown Bill's and the Housing Fellowship have provided meeting space for our regular information meetings.
• In working together and planning for our future home, we are building community.

• We've learned about sociocracy as we prepare our structures for decision-making and general cooperation.

• A crowd gathered in November for our groundbreaking ceremony.

• In preparation for imminent infrastructure work, Apex Construction has installed a porta potty and a mailbox!
• And our membership continues to grow as the idea of living in a cohousing community draws many wonderful people to us.

For all this and more, we are thankful!