The Shire Voluntaryist Dairy & Farmstead

Hello friends,

I'm an early mover (2009) but moved away from NH to follow a job a few years later.  Once upon a time, I worked with Ian and others on the FreeKeene forum drafting "The Shire Society Declaration." I would like to try to take that idea to the next level now and make the Shire a real place that people can go to in New Hampshire. A new type of city-state, like Monaco (only 499 acres) or Vatican City (109 acres), but with a high level of trust among all who go there.  A safe, prosperous, community, all without ever claiming a monopoly on violence. The world's first decentralized, self-governed, self-sufficient, voluntaryist intentional community. The community would be centered around an organic dairy farm. 

400 members x $25,000 = $10m should be enough money to buy land and get the dairy farm up and running and get site planning/zoning approvals to start the development.  Three separate legal entities would be established: The Shire Dairy Farm LLC; The Shire HOA and The Shire Land Trust.  The land is divided into three or more pieces depending on the purpose of the land. The farm land would be owned by the LLC (of which all members are owners and share in the profits and losses). The Shire HOA governs all residential/commercial land which will be deeded to the individual members subject to the rules of the Shire HOA.  The HOA is run by all members (or their delegates) on a consensus basis requiring members to adhere to the NAP with respect to their conduct in the Shire and with respect to all other members whether in or out of the Shire. The recreational/park land is deeded to the Land Trust which holds it for the benefit of all the members.  

The Shire is a private, high trust community and not open to the public, unless the members agree to allow visitors.  I envision small neighborhoods of about 50 homes (in the style of the eco-villages near Ithaca NY) designed to emphasize foot and bicycle traffic in the summer and skis/sleds/snowshoes in winter. Minimal roadways and a "downtown" area (pedestrian) with an auditorium/performance venue/meeting house, shared library/workspace, community kitchen with commercial uses, and a gym/spa/health building.

That's the basic setup. I would love to hear any feedback. I hope we can make this a reality. TIA for your sincere, good faith participation!