Buildings/Development

The dwellings can be gently placed upon this land so as to not disturb the contour of the cliff, the natural surroundings, and the views of the neighbors. They can also catch rainwater, grow food on living roofs, and generate power from wind and solar harvesting -- not only being kind to the environment, but heightening vibration levels with natural power and eco-friendly materials. Natural light and aqua therapy sources include lap pools and ocean swimming; steam rooms, sauna, soaking tubs, hydrotherapy, and more can be incorporated.

The first building plan is a large, almost square, U-type structure with two East wings, straddling a crevice, which descends to Gunrock beach. The proposed footprint is forty-four hundred square feet, most of which would be a main front room for gathering: at least twenty-four hundred square feet at the North front of the structure. Stones could be used to side the twelve to fourteen foot-high building, and dune grass to line the perimeter of the living roof, helping it blend into the bluff. Half of the sod roof could be used to grow food, while the rest could remain open for temporary housing structures and outdoor classes or gatherings. The south face would then back into the hill, towards the neighbors, and be perfect for solar panels on the South wall, and potentially the rear of the living roof, powering mainly the summer months. Windmills could adorn the front of the living roof and rock outcroppings in front, harnessing the incessant winter Northeast winds for power after summer ends. The exact construction style has yet to be finalized but the structure plans include stone siding, with two- to three foot-thick soundproof, insulated walls, solar radiant heating, two- to three foot-thick living roofs, and be one hundred-percent off the power grid, possibly harvesting extra power to sell back to the grid. Town sewage may be used unless an alternative solution proves more sustainable. Strictly eco-friendly materials can be used, and by local builders.

This area has been my home going on forty years. All of the tradesmen are in place, are excited about the project, and charge reasonable rates to family and friends. Space for at least six temporary structures can be set aside for the East and West properties. A teepee will be mandatory -- maybe several -- and other nomadic homes will be considered, such as Mongolian yurts, geodesic domes, container homes, and cement and mud domes.

The second lot is approximately twenty-four hundred square feet, somewhat larger than the East lot. The town ordinance says that thirty percent of the land can be built on. Most of this lot is below the coastal flood zone, so this building should be on ten- to twelsve-foot stilts, and hug the road frontage thirteen feet from the street, to allow for parking underneath. The structure on the West lot is planned to arc along the road for approximately one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet, and extend towards the ocean about forty feet in depth. The square footage of this single-story building would be between four thousand and six thousand square feet, offering a living roof deck the same size, above, and parking/workspace down below. This lot is not only on lower cliffs, but they descend more gradually into the sea, creating a gentle, sloping descent that extends further into the water, allowing proper depth for a dock. This gradual slope could allow safe hauling of boat supplies to the slip, and also accommodate seasonal housing quite well at water's edge. This structure could also be stone-sided, with two- to three-foot thick walls, floors, and ceilings, utilizing solar radiant heating, wind power, and rainwater collection.

Lap pools could also be present on both properties, along with water storage tanks of many shapes and sizes, hidden from view under patios and decks, and in stone wall systems. The rainwater that flows down the hill washes down my sister's driveway and Burr Road behind the West lot every year. As long as the tanks were large enough, no outside water would be needed, even with massive gardens. These two major lots are mostly ledge, so digging down for geothermal and water tank storage may not be possible. Deep digging could possibly take place on my family's two lots, to submerge large tanks into the earth, and maybe excavate some natural stone to build the stone wall system, which would aesthetically blend together terraces, fencing boundaries, wall systems, and entrances, and function as a creative water storage solution.

As mentioned earlier, the cliffs known as the
Big Gully can be made accessible to the public by creating a walkway from the corner of Gunrock Beach extending around the outer perimeter of the property line. We could also allow the neighbors to use the dock to get to and from their boats, saving them a walk to the beach to drag their rowboat across the sand to the water. Interaction between the neighborhood people and the visiting retreatants, at the dock and on the diving cliffs, could be socially enriching for everyone involved.