Hearthstone Village begins building a community south of Powell River

Down a fairly hidden driveway just north of the Lois River bridge, beside a beautiful pond with a red canoe on the shore, sits an unassuming house that is the centre of Hearthstone Village.

“We took possession of this property at the end of January 2019,” said Jacqueline Huddleston, one of the founding members. “One of our families moved in right away, and my husband Mark and I arrived in February after our house in Powell River sold. Our third family joined us over the summer, so now we have six adults and four children living in our community.”

Hearthstone Village is an intentional cohousing community with a focus on sustainable building, food security and inclusivity, said Huddleston.

“Cohousing is a neighbourhood design that combines private residences with shared resources and common buildings,” she added. “The common house will have laundry facilities, guest rooms and an office, while our residences will be a space of personal retreat. This design allows for individual privacy as well as community building.”

In the nine months since they acquired the property, the founding members have been busy getting to know their land and making plans for the future.

“We’ve brought in lots of experts,” said Mark Huddleston. “Forest management experts to help us understand the health of our 40 acres of forest; wildlife experts to help us learn about the animals who call the land home; fire prevention experts on how to protect our buildings; septic experts, water experts, you name it, we’ve probably talked to them.”

While the common house is currently home to two of the three families, that will change shortly.

“Mark and I will be moving into the cabin once we complete some renovations,” said Jacqueline, “and we’ll start building our own house in early 2020. Once our house is finished, the cabin will be available for other members to live in until their own homes are built.”

The Huddlestons are clear about what they feel are the benefits of intentional communities.

“We can pool our resources, and that covers both physical items, finances and personal capacity,” said Jacqueline. “I don’t need to own a lawnmower or a tractor myself, and I have strengths and skills to contribute that other people may not.”

Jenna Fickes, another of the founding members, agrees.

“I enjoy working hard; right now my partner Jamie and I are working on the renovations on the cabin, and I enjoy having someone cook for me,” said Fickes. “That’s a trade that Jacqueline and I have worked out and are comfortable with, and that’s the kind of interaction intentional communities are all about.”

Fickes also points to the small moments that make living in an intentional community so rewarding.

“My eight-year-old can come and say to me, ‘Hey Mom, I’m going to go down to the river with Mark,’” she said. “If we were living in a single-family unit, that kind of thing wouldn’t happen in the same way on a regular basis. She has elders in her life and is able to have such rewarding relationships with them.”

Jacqueline said she believes Powell River is well suited to additional intentional communities.

“We are very open to newcomers here, and people readily form communities, which is part of the reason people are drawn to Powell River,” she added. “An intentional community goes beyond that: you live closer to your neighbours and know them more, in a way that goes beyond just being neighbourly. It’s not for everyone, but it really is an extension of what Powell River already is.”

Hearthstone Village runs events throughout the year to introduce others to the concept of intentional communities. They host monthly work parties, and beginning in October, will host concerts as part of the Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous network, where musicians from across Canada give intimate acoustic concerts in living rooms and small community spaces. The first concert will be held on October 21; tickets are $20 and all proceeds go directly to the artists.

For more information on the concerts, other events, intentional communities, or Hearthstone Village, email [email protected] or go to hearthstonevillage.ca.