Courtesy / Sustainable Community Partners
This site plan shows some of the Merriwood development to be built in Robbinston.
January 8, 2021
Luxe homes in rural Maine will ready buyers for a sustainable, or unsustainable, future
Courtesy / Sustainable Community Partners
A rendering shows one of three designs planned for Merriwood Sustainable Community: the Ironwood, a 2,900-square-foot home, with three bedrooms and three baths.
By William Hall
As eco-friendly luxury homes fetch hefty prices from affluent buyers, Washington County may soon lure ones preparing for Armageddon.
A development group plans to break ground in late spring on the first of 50 sustainably designed homes that offer amenities like chef-grade kitchen appliances, housekeeping services, and shower filters that infuse water with vitamin C. Owners will also have access to a common lodge with a commercial kitchen and bar, a private beach and sauna, a meditation center, recreation facilities and more. Home prices will range to over $1 million.
But the Merriwood Sustainable Community, on 1,000 acres along Howard Lake in Robbinston, is also intended to be a haven from COVID-19, the effects of climate change and doomsday in general.
There will be a 100-acre organic farm that "can provide for the full nutritional needs of the community," according to a news release. A first-aid clinic will be onsite. Internet service will be available through a dedicated fiber-optic line and satellite backup system. Independent power generation, utilizing solar and perhaps wind technologies, will allow Merriwood to go off-grid if necessary.
Randall Solomon, who lives in New Jersey and is launching Merriwood with three partners, said it will cater to buyers who want an environmentally sustainable home for vacationing or year-round use — but also want a "plan B" if times get tough.
"I think it will be a combo," he told Mainebiz Friday in a phone interview. A buyer interested in sustainability "is by definition also going to be thinking about trends toward unsustainability."
Solomon should know. He's the founder and executive director of Sustainable Jersey, a nonprofit that guides municipalities in becoming more sustainable, and speaks frequently on development, energy and land use policy. He launched the development group, Sustainable Community Partners LLC, last month.
Members of the team include Blanche Garcia, an interior designer who's appeared on the cable network HGTV; Ryan Francis, owner and CEO of Maine Construction Group, in Holden; and Ben Falk, a sustainable agriculture expert. A Portland-based firm, Briburn, is serving as architects.
The group is self-funding the start of the community and plans for it to be operated as an homeowners association. So far, Solomon said, six of the 50 lots have been reserved for future buyers, including one for himself and his family. Reservations are open for the public starting Jan 15, and require a $25,000 refundable deposit.
Once on the list, potential buyers will have a choice of three home models, ranging from the 924-square-foot Juniper to the 2,916-square-foot Ironwood, each featuring passive solar design and post-consumer materials. Prices range from $577,000 to $1.05 million, and buyers will also need to pay a $1 million fee on top of that to cover common expenses.
To potential buyers, a slickly designed website markets the location as "off the beaten path but ... still a tourist destination with attractive towns and tourism amenities. It is highly accessible when times are good, but remote enough to be secure."
He contrasts potential Merriwood residents with "extreme preppers" who are preparing for disaster by taking to homes in underground bunkers and missile silos. "Those are the kind of places you go to when there's a zombie apocalypse," he said.
So don't expect concrete fortresses. With the development of Merriwood, the area "is not going to feel much different," he said.
Still, the homes and prices may be unusual in Robbinston, a town of 600 just south of Calais. But Solomon feels Merriwood will be a welcome asset.
The land was in the process of being subdivided before he and his partners bought it for an undisclosed price. Only the Merriwood lodge will actually border the water, so the community's 1.5-mile lakefront will be relatively undisturbed, he said.
"We're not adding density or any of the annoying factors" of development, Solomon said.
And he's hoping Mainers will provide the small workforce necessary to run the farm and provide services to residents.
"We want to be a good neighbor," he said. "We're coming in here with a feeling of gratitude."
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Anonymous
January 16, 2021
And the inequality rages on, regardless of the political stripe
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