White Hawk is situated on 120 acres of land. About ten acres are forested, and we envision more. There are two creeks, a few ponds, and wild blackberries and ramps for picking. We often see beautiful sunsets and enjoy a lovely view to the east. Actually, all the views are lovely, but that one tends to elicit the strongest response. At night, we can see the glow of Ithaca off to the north, but the darkness here is great for stargazing.
Walking on the land, you’re likely to see deer or stumble upon their tramped down sleeping areas. You might spot groundhogs, rabbits, and hawks. You’ll probably see cats and chickens wandering around.
According to soil testing done by Cornell University, there are about 30 acres of good farmland. This land has been organically farmed in the past, and one of our members has again started up a farm on this land. We are interested in growing crops and warmly welcome anyone else who wants to grow more food. For now we garden close to our homes.
What have the humans added to the White Hawk land so far?
- A play area, fire pit with picnic table and community garden in the inner circle
- Dozens of nut and fruit trees
- Coppice grove
- Backyard gardens, rainwater collection, hoop house
- Trails
- Chicken coops for free-range chickens
- Pastured land for turkeys, heritage pigs, sheep and rabbits (none of these beings currently call White Hawk home, but maybe they will again someday!)
- A blueberry grove
- One acre of hazelnut trees
- A fledgling young farm with hundreds of hazelnuts and plans for much, much more.
Our Village: the Residential Section of the Property
Pictured above is an artist’s rendition of White Hawk. “The village” is the circle in the middle where the homes are located. As you can see, there are plans for a centrally-located common house surrounded by a circle of 30 homes.
Homes may be single or multi-family units. Part of the appeal of White Hawk is the fact that members can build individually-designed units on private lots within a circular village pattern. Affordability is an important part of our mission. Lots cost $40k. A micro home that meets town codes could be built here for around $100k total (with lot). Larger and more complex homes are of course possible for those with a flexible budget. At White Hawk your home is truly what you make of it!
White Hawk homes are built with sustainability in mind. What that means is up to the imagination and preferences of the homeowners. We do have general guidelines in place; you may request a copy. Local home designer Rod Lambert has helped the with the homes at White Hawk and is available for additional projects. He can work with individual prospective families to design their home either by customizing any existing home plan or creating one from scratch. Interested households are also welcome to work with any designer or builder they wish.
The village center has plenty of room for recreation. Right now it contains a play area, fire pit with a picnic table, community garden and a couple of fruit trees. Our common house will be built there someday. What else will spring up? More landscaping? A pavilion? Play house? Volleyball net? We look forward to what comes next!
Down at the pond we enjoy skipping stones, squishing in the mud and swimming during the summer. There is another retention pond close to the highway. The rendering of White Hawk was prepared before any homes were built, so it represents what was envisioned at a particular stage in our development. We have plenty of farmland here and think it would be a fine thing if someday we have an orchard, barn, and greenhouse (as pictured), but what we’ve found so far is that projects take place close to our homes. If you visit, you’ll see the chicken coops and other animals (rabbits, sheep, pigs, turkeys), gardens, and fruit trees right in our yards. As with the center circle, we look forward to seeing what pops up next on the land.
As you can see in the above rendering, there is a parking lot located directly below the village. This is where we usually park. The general understanding is that we’re a pedestrian-type village. We like to park in the parking lot and walk to our homes. We also like to drive up to our homes when our cars are fully loaded, when it’s pouring rain, or when our kids have fallen asleep on the way home, or if a resident or visitor has mobility challenges. We are receptive to the parking needs of all members, so our discussion of how to make our neighborhood both people-friendly and accessible continues.
We know this sounds idyllic, and it’s really true. Get to know our community better through our newsletter using the form in the bottom right.
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