TWO ECHO RESIDENTS gather to spruce up the central garden plots. Residents each have their own plot in the garden, but the beds are all located together so neighbors can chat while working the soil.
National Cohousing Open House Day is Saturday. If you’re looking for just such an environment to move to, local cohousing community
Two Echo in Brunswick just happens to have a vacancy or two.
Echo Road winds along fields before coming to a cluster of houses and signs directing drivers to parking areas — there’s three of them. All interior roadways in Two Echo are intended to be pedestrian traffic only.
Not only does this mean kids can run freely through the neighborhood without worrying about being hit by a car, but it sets the stage for more incidental interaction among residents, according to Two Echo homeowner Amy Tolk.
“We’re a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. All the kids know that they can go to any house here if they need help with anything,” Tolk said.
It’s not just families with children who are attracted to the community. Tolk said there is no typical demographic as much as there is a desire to live in a collaborative neighborhood. There are retirees, professionals, and at least one lobsterman and cabinet maker.
“People come to live here because they want to know their neighbors and they want to be involved more and have more interactions than you have in a typical suburban neighborhood,” Tolk said.
The community is run via a series of committees and big decisions are made collaboratively in a common house central to the neighborhood. The common area also houses a commercial kitchen for potlucks, a living room for smaller meetings, a guest room, and a kids room, complete with sound-absorbing panels.
Residents of Two Echo pay association fees, but Tolk explained that since much of the upkeep in the community is done by volunteers. Fees are lower than most condominium complexes.
Two Echo is comprised of close-knit homes as well as a trail system along the 94 acres of woods and fields. Much of the community property is in a conservation easement. One wooded trail comes out at White’s Beach.
With all the amenities the community has to offer, Tolk said potential buyers need to be aware they’re not just buying a house — they’re buying into an intentional community.
Tolk said Two Echo often gets together for bon fires, community meals, as well as a summer and winter olympics. She described summer in the neighborhood as a summer camp atmosphere with kids running all around the community.
According to Tolk, the community didn’t spring up overnight and is now entering year 20 as a cohousing development. The community will have their open house between 2 and 4 p.m. for visits and free tours.
dmcintire@timesrecord.com
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