Innovative $400M Cooperative Community Planned for Utah County

A groundbreaking partnership between Rainbird Development Company, BLLC and Rainbird Village Municipality aims to establish a $400 million resident-owned producer cooperative in Utah County. This ambitious project seeks to create a prototype 'Home Rule' community that embodies the concept of 'Thrivability' as defined by author Michelle Holliday: 'The ongoing ability of life to thrive at every level within a living system.'

The project's design draws inspiration from various community models, with the Mondragon Cooperative emerging as a primary influence due to its longevity, scalability, and high scores on OCED Well-being Framework metrics. Harrison Quigley, Co-founder of Rainbird Development Company, emphasized the importance of building upon Mondragon's strengths, particularly its governance model that balances limited hierarchy, employee ownership, and liquid democracy.

The planned community aims to go beyond sustainability by incorporating regenerative practices that continuously improve symbiotic living systems. Key features of the design include:

1. Employment: All residents will be employee-owners of the municipal producer cooperative, providing various products and services for the public good, including municipal operations, food production, craftsmanship, education, health and wellness services, and recreation and hospitality.

2. Housing: As a benefit of employee-ownership, residents will receive housing maintained by the cooperative, eliminating substantial expenses typically associated with homeownership.

3. Food: Residents will have access to fresh and value-added food products from on-site regenerative agriculture and agroforestry.

4. Education: The community will offer on-site K-12 self-directed programs, mentored skills training, and higher education through a Regenerative Arts & Ecology Institute.

5. Healthcare: An on-site Integrative & Holistic Medicine clinic and wellness spa will provide health and wellness services to residents and the public.

6. Banking: A municipal credit union will offer routine banking services to employee-owners.

This innovative community design aims to address several societal challenges by providing residents with significant cost savings and greater control over their economic prosperity. By eliminating expenses related to traditional homeownership, commuting, and healthcare, while offering affordable education and locally-sourced food, the project seeks to free people from what Quigley describes as the 'parasitic economic treadmill' of conventional society.

Colleen Grant Dick, Rainbird Village Founder, noted that the community concept incorporates strengths identified through an intensive SWOT analysis of various community types, including ecovillages, co-housing, communes, and company towns.

The partners describe their vision as 'Protopian' rather than 'Utopian,' emphasizing the community's capacity for incremental improvement and the freedom of its members to actively work towards enhancing their quality of life.

Rainbird Development has identified a location in Utah County suitable for rapidly implementing their design prototype. The company is currently seeking funding for Phase One, which includes acquisition, development, and the launch of immediate municipal operations.

As this project progresses, it has the potential to serve as a model for future community development, addressing critical issues such as affordable housing, sustainable agriculture, and equitable economic systems. The success of this initiative could have far-reaching implications for urban planning, cooperative business models, and approaches to building more resilient and thriving communities.

For more information about the project, interested parties can visit https://www.rainbirddev.com.