A Dark-Sky Community as a Proprietary Residential Community

David Oesper

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Sep 17, 2019, 2:24:52 AM9/17/19

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What is a proprietary residential community? It is a residential community managed by a private corporation for the benefit of its residents. In this case, those wanting to live where they will finally be free of nuisance lighting, allowing them to enjoy a pristine night sky and a natural nighttime environment.

I believe that the most economical way to develop and sustain a dark-sky community would be to follow a proprietary residential community model. This would also allow more people to live in a dark-sky community, because they wouldn't have to purchase property in order to live there.

In a dark-sky proprietary residential community, all residents would rent or lease their domiciles and office space from the corporation that owns and manages the property. Ideally, a variety of housing types would be available in the residential campus(es) of the dark-sky community. These could include single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums, and apartments.

A flex-space modular approach to housing construction could be used, where the number of modules rented or leased varies depending on the needs and financial resources of the family or individual. Each building would have several multipurpose housing modules ("rooms") that could be configured a number of different ways. All housing modules should have natural ventilation and daylighting in addition to air conditioning and heating, individually customizable.

A campus approach lends itself well to private residences close to shared facilities and common areas. Clustered residences would be a welcome alternative to the standard rural development approach of widely-separated residences on acreages.

The dark-sky community would be owned by a private corporation, and all community services would be provided by the corporation. Rent and on-site business income will cover the cost of these services.

It is imperative that this corporation be a non-profit or a cooperative, with most or all profit being invested directly back into the community. A benefit corporation may be the best type of entity to operate the dark-sky community, although this corporate structure is not yet recognized in all jurisdictions.

Though the corporation will be the final authority on how the dark-sky community is developed, operated, and maintained, residents must have a great deal of input and influence on decisions that are made. In the end, the management of the dark-sky community must be responsive to the needs of its residents or people will leave. And it will be easy for them to do so if they are not happy.

Steve Taylor

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Oct 18, 2019, 1:56:31 PM10/18/19

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An astronomical timeshare.

David Oesper

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Oct 21, 2019, 2:43:10 AM10/21/19

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Steve, I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences and/or ideas regarding astronomical timeshares when you get a chance. I've always considered living full-time in a dark-sky community myself, but it seems that operating an astronomical timeshare would be a good way for a dark-sky community to sustain itself financially, as many would love to make extended visits to the DSC but not live there full-time. Interested in your thoughts on this.