Vermont Business Magazine Bristol Village Cohousing (BVCH) in Bristol, VT is five years old and has much to celebrate. Founded in 2017 by Jim Mendell and Meg Kamens, the community grew very quickly and now is an established part of Bristol and Addison County. On Saturday Oct 1 from 1 - 5 pm BVCH will host an Open House to celebrate.
BVCH is one of nine cohousing communities in Vermont and over 150 established communities in the US according to the Cohousing Association of the US. Cohousing is defined as “community intentionally designed with ample common spaces surrounded by private homes.”
Jim and Meg had a vision for building a community that they would like to live in, a place where people live in cooperation with their neighbors and live as sustainably as possible. They started with three 19th century buildings on Bristol’s North Street, converted them to 21st century energy efficient standards and added 5 small cottages on the rear of the property. In 2018 the community was awarded the Preservation Award by the Preservation Trust of Vermont for their adaptive reuse of the original buildings. All are built to the highest energy-performance standards, and the community’s electricity is 100% solar.
Today 16 households call Bristol Village Cohousing home, fourteen of which own their homes and two of which rent units. The 31 residents are between 10 and 85 years old. The residents' homes include the five cottages, nine units in three townhouses and two apartments in the community’s common house.
The community’s common space includes a central green, a community garden, two barns used for storage and an art studio, and the Peake House, a lovely Italianate building built in 1863. The Peake House is used for getting mail, its exercise room, periodic meetings, social events, community meals, hosting short & long-term guest rentals, and pre-Covid was used by outside local community groups for their meetings.
All community decisions at BVCH are made by four core committees, 11 small sub-committees and at full community meetings. The community has been using sociocracy as a governance system for making sure that everyone has input and there is a clear delegation of responsibility.
BVCH residents are very active in Bristol and Addison County activities and organizations. They are members of the historical society, local churches, singing groups, the MAUSD mentoring program and many work in Bristol or nearby. As Sarah Stott, one of the residents said, “We are a community of wonderfully diverse people within an incredible town. There’s no better place to live.”
The Open House on Saturday Oct 1 from 1 - 5 pm will feature food, music, games, and guided or self-guided tours of the property.
Bristol, VT, July 15, 2022 --- Bristol Village Cohousing