April 23 Update: Finished Business Plans + Realestate Update

[NorthVanIsle Artist Collective]

Community Update: Progress and Next Steps for Our Intentional Community Project

Hello Team,

I wanted to provide an update on our project's current status and outline the next steps as we move forward.

Property Viewing and Real Estate Interaction:
We are aiming to schedule a viewing for the property in the second week of May. To facilitate this, we will be submitting additional information to the real estate agent this week, which will help secure a viewing date that works for everyone. The agent has requested further details about our group, our plans for the property, and our financial strategy for purchasing it.

Community Planning Progress:
Since our last full group meeting, smaller subgroups have met to brainstorm and start shaping our community framework. We've drafted a preliminary community outline and a couple of business plans to provide some financial context. It’s important to note that these documents are very much in draft form. There's still considerable discussion and decision-making needed on our part, but these initial plans will provide a foundation to build a clearer vision from and help us engage more concretely with potential future funding opportunities.

Economic Viability and Financing:
We've made some key observations about our financial capabilities:
- Most of us are currently renting, with savings or assets that could potentially contribute towards a purchase.
- Collectively, we could qualify for substantial mortgage financing in the range of $3-$500,000 per household.
- Our combined rental expenditures suggest we could feasibly redirect our current housing budgets towards collectively owning and managing a property, providing us with significantly more value and aligned with our community living goals.

Strategic Financial Approaches:
We are exploring several options to finance this property without traditional bank involvement, maximizing our communal skills and the intrinsic value of the property:

1. Private Loans: Obtain a private loan to cover the initial purchase, creating a 5-10 year repayment strategy.
2. Crowdsourcing and Fundraising: Leverage crowdsourcing and fundraising to cover start-up costs.
3. Government Assistance: Although we prefer minimal government intervention, this could be a practical support option.
4. Operational Revenue: Utilize the property for intensive short-term operations that could fund mortgage payments and construction costs, aiming to become financially self-sustaining within five years.

Looking Forward:
As we consider these options, we recognize that utilizing the property for income-generation might require short-term sacrifices. However, if managed carefully and effectively, this strategy could allow us to achieve our financial freedom goals more quickly and with greater collective benefit.

Long-term Planning:
We need to develop clear, agreed-upon plans for the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, and beyond milestones. These plans will be crucial for aligning our goals and making informed decisions once we have more detailed information about the property.

Feedback and Collaboration:
Please keep all provided information confidential and feel free to share any comments, concerns, ideas, or feedback. Each of us holds a vital piece of this puzzle, and together, we have the potential to create something truly transformative.

I look forward to our continued collaboration and hearing your thoughts as we refine our plans and take these exciting steps together.

Jessica Rawsthorne <3
(One of many founders)

**Please download the 4 attached files below and have a read through, especially the 1st one which is our current Intentional Community Plan Overview**


North_Island_Artists_Collective_and_Intentional_Community.docx
Earth_Medicine_Retreats_.pptx
Down_to_Earth_Event_Catering_.pptx

Tao_of_Democracy_and_the_Philosophy_of_Co-Creation_.pptx

[NorthVanIsle Artist Collective]

Note: We also made this site password protected for this initial stage of internal organizing.  Please do not share the password with anyone outside of your household.

The password is: UnityinCommunity


The new site domain url is: www.NVIArtistCollective.cahttp://www.NVIArtistCollective.ca

We can change the domain name + name of our organization once we decide on one. <3