There are a major set of hurdles and problems to be dealt with in developing a piece of property. My understanding is highly limited, but in conversations with folx in Eugene who are working on this I'm learning how much there is to deal with. Zoning laws on city, county, and state levels can be very restrictive and very irrational.

For example, Miaya was telling me how in Oregon you can have a humanure system but you can't have a grey water system. Solving this problem would require taking the state to court and proving why grey water systems are safe and useful - no small endevour. Also, on their property on River Rd, if they want to build any residences they have to build 15, each of which need to have a kitchen and bathroom. They're working with the city to allow greater flexibility. Miaya also said that at Maitreya Ecovillage when Rob built the triplex the city wanted to require him to put in a parking lot. He managed to get around them by promising to buy bus passes, and follow up on that promise.

So, it seems like there is room inat least some cities for creative problem solving, but I think this area of community development can't be underestimated in terms of the time and money it could take.

Also on the subject of development, Miaya described a number of positive collaborations and connections they've made with various departments and programs at the University of Oregon and the local community college. It seems that with proper planning there are a lot of resources available from educational institutions.