Killick Ecovillage: Project Status

Killick Ecovillage was created to meet the need of its future residents for a community where residents can live affordably with access to agriculture lands, municipal infrastructure, and diverse neighbours. This project addresses both the desire for a better way of living and the reality of housing market failure by combining various proven global innovations including: cohousing processes and design philosophies; ecovillage design and ethos; social enterprise and sociocracy structures; and, the UK’s Mutual Home Ownership Society (MHOS) tenure model.

Killick Ecovillage is a 30+ home mixed-income intergenerational cohousing community situated on 58 acres of heritage farmland in Portugal Cove - St. Philip’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, estimated for first occupancy by summer of 2025 and project completion by the summer of 2026. The project was initiated by future residents, and has been designed by and for the people who will live there, who are co-investors during project development and once complete will self-manage the community and permaculture farm. This project prioritizes climate resilience and low environmental impacts while making it accessible to a wider range of incomes than can currently afford home ownership. The latter is achieved through structuring as a housing cooperative that charges monthly fees based on income, with a portion of these fees being repaid to residents when they decide to leave the community.

Mutual Home Ownership Society

The Mutual Home Ownership Society (MHOS) was developed in the UK by LILAC Cohousing in 2013 to allow an income-diverse membership to access their high- quality, sustainable cohousing neighbourhood. Subsequent impact reports show that over time, MHOS cohousing becomes more affordable and attracts people with a mix of income levels because the model creates a sense of fairness for all. Upon leaving, residents will have built up savings in their homes that will give them greater options in where they live next. Following this tradition, Killick Ecovillage aims to create a resilient, socially and environmentally sustainable neighbourhood that reduces monthly expenses (from traditional housing options), facilitates knowing and caring for one’s neighbours, and helps to lower social isolation and increase levels of well-being.