Avalon Court

Mike is managing the development of an eight unit cohousing community in Cameron Village in Raleigh, NC. The working vision statement for the community is as follows: The intent of Avalon Court is to be a small cohousing community of individuals interested in an artful, pedestrian and socially-oriented, environmentally responsible way of life near Cameron Village in Raleigh, North Carolina. Meetings with potential residents are ongoing. Concept design of the site and buildings as well as deconstruction by Habitat for Humanity of existing structures has recently been completed.

Conservation Communities

Earthwise is currently working with landowners to develop net-zero, new urban, clustered conservation communities.

We have completed a feasibility study for a precedent-setting conservation community in Raleigh, including financial and social modeling and design. This community will apply collaborative principles to its development process such that residents, investors, and the larger community will collaborate in the development of the community.

Other Co-housing Groups

There are several groups forming in North Carolina interested in planning their own communities. Awareness of the benefits of intentional communities is growing in our state. The Earthwise Company is available to lead the planning, design, and development of projects as these groups come together. Earthwise Company has consulted with groups in Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, and Durham at varying stages in their formation.

Woodsong

Mike Ortosky has worked with The Milliken Company as Environmental Designer to create low-impact development techniques and ensure the environmental preservation of Woodsong, a new urban village in Shallotte, North Carolina. Woodsong incorporates the scale and structure of community through traditional neighborhood design fundamentals.

Co-housing Education

Mike continues to speak at various venues on all aspects of the process of planning and developing co-housing communities in North Carolina. Through Mike's presentations, interested potential residents, designers, and developers can receive detailed information about the process, form, and function of these communities.

Aging in Community

This project focuses on elder co-housing and age-in-place communities. Earthwise is providing feasibility planning for interested residents and investors. Potential projects have been identified in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, the Columbia, South Carolina region, and the Chapel Hill, North Carolina area.