I have a rural property, and it's my own retreat, but if I didn't, something like that would be wonderful. I'm a boomer who is nearing retirement age if I want to, and my spouse and my common interests include birding and gardening. Yes on the communal gardens...since treed lots in woods might make individual ones too shady.

I'd want the house to be truly green in the design with as much passive energy savings incorporated as possible, like good orientation to the sun and properly engineered overhangs on the southern side for coolness in summer. A clubhouse would be the last thing I'd put on a wish list. Been there and done that and didn't use it. I would, however, use a common outdoor area with a shelterhouse or gazebo and picnic tables. Having a pond or lake nearby would be pleasant too.

Good idea on ample storage, a big problem for people downsizing. I'd want an on-demand water heater or solar. A wood burning stove would also be nice. So would a bay of covered parking away from the houses so folks could stuff their RVs or boats somewhere other than in front of their homes.

Windows you can actually use and ample egress to outside without a lot of steps.

Homes oriented for PRIVACY, please. Even if the lots are small, make them so you don't look out your window into somebody else's.

This is interesting. I'll be curious to see what other people think they'd like in an environmentally friendly cottage.

Interesting question.

If you mean to be wildlife friendly, as I imagine you do, you might have to ban pets even from private yards. That would kill the deal for me, but might be popular among bird watchers. I actually keep my cats a secret from my bird watching friends.

I would want there to be a community owned tool shed and tools.

Community owned bicycles might be a good idea and possibly even a truck.

There would have to be community space, of course. It is essential, I think, to have community events and a neutral place for meetings when tempers flare.

If you are living in a forest, I think that fire has to be a huge concern. I think you would have to have a clearing where the houses are located and require aluminum roofs or something equally resistant to fire. Fire retardant vegetation should be encouraged. Automatic sprinkler systems might be a good idea as well. There is a development near Sisters Oregon where homeowners are encouraged to clear the trees from the immediate area around their homes. For the most part, no one has gone along with this advice. It is a conflagration waiting to happen and fire services are not that close.

I love a fireplace, but I think that should probably be avoided. I think that the ability to handle wood smoke decreases with age. With that in mind, the community might offer a generator(s) capable of at least leaving the lights on in case of power outages.

Would you offer any impediments to intruders? Probably not feasible for your purposes.

I would be looking for environmentally friendly power sources. If there is a lot of tree cover then solar energy may not be possible

Storage might be located separately. Most of the cottage developments near me, have storage and garages separate from the houses. If not, I would have an alley run down the back of the homes for access to rear facing garages. The front of the cottages should offer big front porches to stimulate conversations between neighbors. Again, following the templates I have seen, the front of the homes would be spaced more closely together than where a street separates them. There is often a linear garden that runs down the middle instead.

These cottage developments are bringing huge prices here. People are paying as much for a 1000 sq. ft. unit as a 2500 sq ft. unit in a more usual development. One of the big attractions is keeping the homes to just a small part of the acreage to maximize the area available for environmentally sound management of the remaining natural area.

Most important is to have good legal advice going in plus well thought out rules. I normally hate developments that have a 5 inch thick rule book, but it is better than making it up as you go along. You need to have a process in place to change the rules also.

This would be a HUGE step for you. You want lots of feedback, lots of legal advice, lots of communication with people who are already trying this.

I have a decent house saved that would work with a few adjustments. It's a 3 bedroom rancher, 2 car garage, basement with an attic that is the 2nd floor accessible by stairs, not pull down but regular stairs.

I know a few older couples that have lost their spouse, it's more of a companionship and that for them, they'd like having 2 separate bedrooms.

The master (off of the kitchen and near the laundry area) was a decent size with a nice sized closet & bathroom. I would take a little off of the closet to rearrange the bathroom putting in a tub along with a shower only unit. In the shower I would have a hand held shower head so that if the owner became sick/disabled it's already there. When my dad had cancer, getting him into the tub was a problem.

The living room was in the front, behind that were 2 bedrooms on the left with a bathroom on the right. I would make that bathroom a powder room, then merge the 2 bedrooms into a suite, or make 1 of those rooms a little smaller for a twin bed & dresser, with the back bedroom a suite.

As I said, the attic wasn't finished, this would allow the owners to do what they wished. It could be made into an office or another suite in case an adult kid came to live with the parent. There was more then enough room up there to split it into a suite plus office and unfinished storage.

The basement was a decent size. It could either be for storage or partially finished as well.

The outside should be easy to care for. My 1st vision when I read your post was something cabin like which I wouldn't go for.

I wouldn't use common tools as I'm a gardener & have tools I favor. A big peeve of mine is an HOA that won't let you plant trees other then what is written in such as where we live. The township dictates what tree is in our front yard and if we want to change it have to fill out forms.

Not an easy thing to pull off, but you should be commended for even considering this. It makes a lot of sense, but there are a lot of issues that make it a hard sell.

There will be a liability insurance cost for any general-use buildings.

It sounds like people would own the house but not the land? Or are you subdividing? Will the county allow it? How will you handle infrastructure costs? What recourse will a homeowner be given if they need/want to sell, but there's no market for it? How would a homeowner's bankruptcy affect the finances and legal responsibilities of the remaining homeowners?

I hope you are able to do this, because I do think there is a need for it. However, you'd want to be an LLC, at the very least, because you shouldn't put your personal assets at risk for this - and it is very risky. These kinds of arrangements are difficult to set up but even more difficult to maintain in the long run.

Sounds good, but do realize that most seniors require medical help and aid. You might have to build that into your community.

I think you have to define 'retirement' homes, since it's so often used as a euphemism for the next step away from assisted living. I'd shun something like that like a plague and not even bother to go look at a cottage if that is what the community is planned to be. Isn't that why the words active and outdoorsy is in the title? No, it's not typical for those on the young side of retiring and still active in mind and body and are bent toward being an outdoor type to need lots of modifications and medical considerations at that point in their life. When they get to the point where they need it, then a retreat in the woods as a full time home is not the place they should be considering. Someone who does need that consideration should locate near to squads, hospitals, shopping. I'm thinking that most retirees would be more interested in moving to a place where maturity is mainstream, and that things like dirt bikes, loud music and five a.m. commuters firing up to leave each morning are something they don't need to coexist with on a daily basis.

My husband and I are daydreaming about semi-retirement houses these days, and tops on our list are large spaces for art and music studios. I'd like a tiny kitchen and no den or living room... a large library/study will do instead. The last thing we want is a traditional floor plan.

People interested in green communities might be similarly non-traditional. You might want to try and find really flexible/varied floor plans for your community.

Your idea is intriguing. Good luck with it!

thanks for the thoughtful responses--it's good to know people are thinking about this--and hopefully i can fill a need or niche someday.
i've been adding it all up,and it appears that privacy,storage,ease of use and community are all very important. that's important to me too,so those pieces are going to be vital to the project. i have some pretty good support in the form of state gov't here,since housing is such a crucial need.
and strictly speaking,i don't think i'll be building a retirement community,more like a small community of some affordable one/two bedroom townhouses with a few slightly larger and more luxurious cottages for primary or second homes for active adults. the common thread will be the zero carbon footprint and the location in the woods.
zero carbon is ambitious,i know,but i may as well start there!
so,privacy,ease of use (this includes new methods of heating,plus one level living,plenty of large operable windows,etc.),communal garden/gathering space,'green' systems,storage are all on the list as must haves.
i'm meeting with a engineering consultanting firm,have already touched base with some state guys and am cautiousely and optimistically moving forward. i'll keep you updated as i proceed if you like. and thanks again,,this has been very helpful!