Contributions, Fees & Amenities
CONTRIBUTIONS AND FEES
As an intentional neighborhood, Polestar Village provides services and facilities not associated with standard developments, in addition to common services. These services provide and support the unique experience of living at Polestar Village.
Polestar Village Amenities *
(This list includes all amenities; those owned and managed both by the PCOA and Polestar Gardens Inc., PGI)
- Management & Operations
- Taxes and Insurance
- Maintenance of all common areas and buildings
- Common landscaping and irrigation
- High Speed Internet (Fort Collins ‘Connexions internet service is connected to each unit.)
- Storm Water
- Sidewalks and Trails
- Snow removal
- Trash
- Use of the Village Green
- Community Garden, Cluster Gardens
- Community Center with Cafe, Class and Meeting Rooms, Dining Hall, exercise room, ongoing community events
- 4 Meals/Month (a value of ~ $60/month) at Community Dining Hall
- Meal discounts at the Community Dining Hall
- Meditation Temple with access to ongoing meditation and yoga
- Pickleball Courts
- Agricultural Building
- Membership in car and bike share programs
- Discounts on events open to the larger community
- Use of Guest Rooms above Community Center
Two types of fees will be assessed to all residents for the creation and maintenance of the Polestar Village Amenities: A one time fee that is due upon purchase of a lot or building product, and a monthly fee for ongoing maintenance.
1) One-time Amenities Fee:
- Single Family Lots: $10,000 per unit plus $5 per square foot
- Multi Family Lots: $7,500 per unit plus $5 per square foot
2) Monthly Fees:
- PCOA (Polestar Community Owners’ Association) Fees shall begin at $430 per unit plus $200 per additional adult.
- Work/Trade Opportunities:
- To make these services more available to Community residents, PGI shall maintain a Work/Trade Opportunity that can help offset monthly fees and support a culture of service and participation. Any resident can reduce their monthly contribution by $60 through 3 hours or more of community service. Additional work/trade opportunities may be available on an individual basis.
- PGI services, including Work/Trade Opportunity, meal costs, facilities and resources shall be managed by PGI, and usage agreements shall be available in the PCOA main office. PGI is a 501c3 educational non-profit and is bound by its charter to serve the public in furtherance of its mission.
- Work/Trade Opportunities:
- SUB-COA FEES
- These fees cover management and maintenance of individually owned properties and will be set by each sub-COA.
*Please note: Additional fees, if applicable, will be determined over time for the use of certain amenities (i.e facility rental, pickleball reservation, etc) and participation in certain programs (i.e. car share program, community supported agriculture program, etc).
*Creating the POLESTAR VILLAGE AMENITIES
The amenities planned for Polestar Village: Gardens and green, meditation temple, community center, dining hall, wellness center, playground, pickleball courts and more, are all considered essential features of our vision for life at Polestar. How will these be paid for and when will they be built?
Unlike typical developments, Polestar Village is being developed by an educational non-profit, as a cooperative community. Construction of the Amenities will be a collaborative process involving the non-profit / developer Polestar Gardens Inc., supporters of PGI, and the residents of Polestar Village, as need, finances, and interest allow.
It has been our strong intention to make Polestar accessible to a wide income range and this runs counter to our desire to complete the construction of all the amenities as soon as possible! Our aim is to strike a middle ground; to keep our fees competitive with others in this market, but also give ourselves the opportunity to complete the amenities in phases, through fees, donations, and volunteer labor.
Since Polestar provides and will continue to provide services to others beyond just the residents of Polestar Village, and since Polestar has supporters who regularly donate to Polestar’s Mission, we feel this approach is appropriate and workable. In addition to fees and donations, the financial benefits that accrue from the development and construction of Polestar Village, as well as the ‘new member’ fee (charged when properties are sold) will also increase our ability to capitalize the amenities in a timely fashion. Many of these factors are out of our control however, so we don’t want to create unrealistic expectations. We have been successful though, in fundraising (donations are tax deductible), and have a track record of completing buildings through community involvement, sweat equity and creative financing.
Establishing the primary functions of our amenities, if not their final expression, is a high priority for us and should be attainable early on in the building process. The Garden and the Village Green for example, are already up and running and will only get better as we start living there. The single family home on the Village Green would make a sensible ‘phase one’ common room with kitchen, dining, place to gather, meditation space, and guest rooms (not to mention sales office), and has a reasonable price tag, especially compared to our ultimate community center. The Agricultural Building (the barn) is also a relatively affordable building and could support many community functions in the early going.
In short, we should be able to provide support for our primary community functions of gathering, cooking, food growing, recreation, meditation and yoga, and much more in a relatively short period of time. In addition, the ongoing process of building and improving the environment is vitalizing for the whole community, fostering teamwork, collaboration, and a strong sense of community cohesion.
