“What exactly is an eco-community?” you may fairly ask. At a minimum, one would expect any eco-community worthy of the name to have the following features:

• solar panels and/or thermal water heating
• rain water collection and water recycling
• use of native plants in landscaping
• low density construction
• no use of rare hardwoods in construction
• reforestation of pasturelands and other disturbed areas

Many eco-communities also combine these features with an organic garden and tilapia ponds; at some projects, designers apply the principles of permaculture in order to integrate garden production, water and energy use, and human activity. Not infrequently, many eco-communities are able to capitalize on the appeal of ecological chic by offering classes in organic gardening and sustainable development; some also generate income by renting out rooms.

While all of this may seem reminiscent of hippy communes from The Sixties, few eco-communities expect residents to share a common religion or to spend hours at community meetings. The guiding principle is to create a community that has minimal impact on the surrounding environment.

The legal structure of an eco-community is often nearly identical to that of a gated community—in fact, an eco-community is really nothing more than a type of gated community (when viewed from the legal perspective at any rate). Each property owner owns his or her property outright and community members jointly own common property. Bylaws determine use of common property and also regulate home architectural styles, just as they do in an ordinary condominium project. In some projects, the organic garden and other “community projects” are owned by a single person or a subset of the community, though all home owners get to enjoy the beauty of the garden, and this and other community projects adds to the cachet of owning a home within the community.

The very nature of an eco-community means that these developments are generally smaller than more commercially focused projects. And, as likely as not, initial home owners often know each other before buying into the community; in fact, in many cases, these very same homeowners created the concept for the project. As such, anyone who wants to buy a home in an eco-community (or to sell a home for that matter) may come under greater scrutiny on the part of existing community members than he or she would in an ordinary gated community.

It’s important to note a caveat here. Nearly every development project in Costa Rica touts itself as being green or eco-friendly in some way. Few, in fact, are. Everywhere you go, you’ll here eco this and eco that. The authors have even seen signs for eco lots. Just because a community proclaims itself an eco-community—or just because a condo developer promises a green approach—doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.

One Eco-Community near Santa Cruz (Guanacaste)

As this community is yet without a name—and since the author was unable to track down the developer’s last name—you’ll have a difficult time finding this project. The purpose here, however, is to simply give you a more rounded picture of what one eco-community is like

This 200-acre project is located on a mountainside about 20 minutes from Santa Cruz (and 45 minutes from Tamarindo). The area is remote from city life and somewhat isolated from human activity, although there are several other eco-mined communities in the area. The developer, Sebastian, wants to create a self-sustaining community; on the land is a working farm, along with livestock animals. It’s not clear what relationship, if any, will exist between home owners and farm and livestock production (and consumption).

Buyers purchase lots that are a minimum of 1.2 acres in size. Water and electricity were being installed at the time of writing, but apart from that, you just get raw land. To encourage a conservation approach, one developer bylaw requires that anyone who destroys a tree in the process of constructing a home must plant five trees—some on the site and some in a reforestation project within the development (more than half the land is already forested). Bylaws also require low lighting use at night and a maximum of two stories for each home.

The developer plans to limit construction to just 15% of the entire property. He promises to later add hiking trails, community barbecue areas, an animal sanctuary, and riding stables where residents borrow—rather than rent—horses.

Seabreeze Mountain, Tamarindo (Guanacaste)

The Seabreeze Mountain project, located near Tamarindo in Delicias, is not at all bashful about proclaiming its primary raison d’etre, which is financial gain. The sales pitch to potential buyers is a) that land prices here are much cheaper than at developments by the beach and b) that future large-scale resort developments by the beach will enhance the value and attractiveness of the Seabreeze Mountain development.

If this development, then, doesn’t conform in image to the typical eco-community, its master plan does indicate an intention to conform to many of the principles of an eco-community. It calls for installation of solar panels (sufficient in number to meet 50% of all home electricity requirements); a windmill that will power water pumps; rainwater harvesting; a restricting land used for construction to just 15% of the total land—with 58 acres set aside for a nature reserve with trails.

The 215 lots range in cost between $138,000 and $500,000. Customers can buy at discounted “presale” prices, and the developer will offer on-site rental management services.