When some friends introduced them to the cohousing book in the early 1990’s, the Newcomb family, owners of farm property in both Fairfax and Loudoun County, began talking about this intriguing new concept with farm friends and neighbors. With the help of the Cohousing Company and some local cohousing experts, they formed a group in November 1994 and called themselves “Beulah Road Cohousing.” Twelve families attended the first meeting. 

The first site the group worked on was located on farm property on Beulah Road. An architect friend helped the group design a site plan, and they hired a consultant (from Liberty Village Cohousing) to help them through the arduous task of applying for rezoning. After several meetings with county officials and unsuccessful attempts to convince supervisors of the project’s merits, the project seemed to be at a standstill. The Newcombs reconsidered their site options and chose another site on the farm: an inaccessible wooded hillside tucked behind the fields and roads of the farm.  

Planning began in earnest with the new site, Blueberry Hill. Architects, project managers, engineers and lawyers were interviewed, discussed, and hired. The architect (Jack Wilbern) orchestrated site design workshops, and the group massaged the site plan for several months over bimonthly meetings. 

Group membership ebbed and flowed, with new interest generated through bulk mailings and word of mouth. January 25, 1996 Blueberry Hill Cohousing held its first “Open House” at the National Wildlife Federation building. Group members spoke to a crowd of 60 curious onlookers, friends and the press about the cohousing concept, the vision for Blueberry Hill, and the opportunity to join in.  

Membership jumped to over 9 committed households (those able to pay $5,000 with a promise of $20,000 for a down payment over the next year) soon after that presentation, and the meeting, working, and decision-making process became more formalized. Committees were formed to work on the various tasks of project development: group management, legal/finance issues, PR and marketing, design, community building and fun, and a variety of task forces. Members gained new skills and knowledge through hours of research, group meetings and county negotiations.  

Rezoning was the next big hurdle- the crucial step that would determine the future of the project. The PR committee worked hard to educate the larger community about the project to reduce the risk of unhappy neighbors testifying against their application, while the zoning committee met long and often with county officials to pave the way for our eventual consideration. 

On September 14, 1998, an emotional evening for all members of the Blueberry Hill family, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors quickly approved our application to rezone the farm to accommodate the 19 houses and one common house planned for the community. Blueberry Hill was a go! 

Over the next 2 years the community met twice a month to design and build their community. Builders were interviewed, considered, and reconsidered. All decisions were made by consensus and all individual and community concerns had to be satisfied. Contracts were negotiated with builders, banks, site workers, project managers, architects and engineers; county agencies were consulted every step of the way.  

As the project took form, BBH continued its work on community issues: managing ourselves as an intentional community, understanding and defining our values, learning the consensus process, navigating through conflict resolutions, accepting the wide range of community priorities, and having fun together. The community continued to meet twice monthly as a group and more often in committees. Long standing members dropped out as the prices rose and project was delayed, while new membership increased slowly.  

Monday, March 13, 2000, the bulldozers began work on Blueberry Hill, transforming the site from a bucolic wooded hillside to a barren dirt pile with piles of fallen trees. Four months of big machine work laid the sewer lines, the roads and utilities- farming continued around the machines and mud.  

In July the houses began to grow, and the group watched in awe as their basements were poured, houses were framed and plumbing was boxed in with dry wall. Each day required multiple visits to gaze in admiration at the visible evidence of years of hard work... the community was becoming a reality.  

BBH Owners Agents kept the project moving forward, learning the job of developer and site manager as the days progressed. Nothing was easy, but the houses went up, through the summer months and into the fall. From December 2000 to May 2001 BBH members became homeowners and residents of Northern Virginia’s first Cohousing community. 

Now that all the homes are occupied and the common house is beginning to take form, the community faces new developmental challenges and enjoys the many rewards of living in cohousing. While the children have eagerly embraced their community, the adults continue their work to implement the “self-managed” component of cohousing, maintaining common spaces and building trust among neighbors. Until the common house is built, weekly potlucks are our common meals. We must all learn to adapt to the wide varieties of personal styles expressed inside and out of our homes. We are growing together as neighbors, work mates and friends.  

The development of Blueberry Hill has been a long, long journey with many unexpected twists and challenges. Over 100 families participated in the development of the community, attending meetings and contributing to its ultimate design- with 12 of the 19 households joining in the final 2 years. And now the community, truly in its infancy, will join together to write the history of its development as a cohousing neighborhood in practice.