Places to come together
Shared meals, gardens, workspaces and gathering places could make it easy to spend time with one another. Those common spaces need to be part of the plan from the beginning.
October 24, 2026 · Our second community meeting
From shared hopes to shared work.
Thank you for a thoughtful, lively October meeting! We spent time imagining the life we want, asking practical questions and finding things people would enjoy helping with.
A permanent village remains the dream I’m working toward: a place where the friendship and ease of gay naturist gatherings can become part of ordinary life. There is room in this conversation for people who hope to live there, visit, spend part of the year, help it take shape or simply stay connected.
Here is what we talked about, what is moving forward and where we still need to learn together. If you missed the meeting, you can start here.
What would an ordinary good day look like?
Many of us know the feeling of coming home from a naturist gathering and wishing the connection could last. We returned to that feeling in October, then asked what it would mean to build a daily life around it.
A meal together. A garden, a workshop or a place to make music. Friends close enough for an unplanned conversation. Just as important, a private space where you can rest, work or close the door. Being part of a community should leave room for different moods, interests and ways of spending the day.
A place of your own
We talked about private space and different kinds of homes. A good design needs to make both company and solitude easy to choose.
Everyday practical needs
Healthcare, shops, transport, internet and manageable costs belong in the picture. We also need to understand what works for people who have jobs, different abilities or changing needs as they get older.
Different ways to belong
Permanent residents, seasonal stays and shorter visits raise different needs. Helping with the project now does not require a promise to move or buy anything.
These are ideas and needs to work through together. We have not agreed on a daily schedule, a package of services or a single way everyone must live.
Five groups to help the idea take shape.
We opened five working conversations in Discord, an app where people can talk between meetings. Each conversation has its own channel, much like a room with a topic on the door. You can join more than one, listen first or change your mind.
Our purpose and decisions
Describe the community we want and how we will make decisions together. The aim is to bring a practical proposal back for discussion: who has a voice, how a decision is made and how people can raise a concern.
A useful first step is to write a few clear principles and try them against an everyday disagreement. Max said he wants a concrete governance proposal for the next meeting; the purpose group’s work should help shape it.
Start our nonprofit
The seed idea is education and outreach: helping people learn about naturist community life through useful resources, conversations or workshops. The people who want to do this work will help shape its purpose and first activities.
The immediate questions include where to form it, who is willing to serve on its initial board and how to handle the records and bookkeeping. Wanting to help with the project is different from agreeing to be a director.
Find a place
Work out what a place needs to offer, then compare possibilities using the research already available. Climate, access to care, transport, water, permitted uses and the cost of making a site ready all matter.
A useful contribution could be one requirement, one firsthand observation or one clearly identified property lead. We can then check the questions that make it promising or difficult.
Spread the word
Help people who might enjoy Uncommon Ground discover it and find a way to take part. Existing cards, flyers, the website and personal introductions give us places to begin.
There is already outreach underway. Before contacting an organization on the project’s behalf, check what has happened so that it receives one clear conversation.
Welcome new people
Help newcomers find their bearings, ask questions and connect with the people or work that interest them. Clear explanations and patient help with the technology are useful contributions.
People also offered to help with conversations about hopes and needs. We will match that willingness with a manageable task and clear agreement about notes and privacy.
Housing and design
This extra conversation grew out of questions about existing buildings, manufactured homes and building on site. It connects the place search with the kinds of homes and shared spaces people need.
The first comparison should include the whole installed cost and everyday usability of each option. A low advertised price for a home does not tell us what it costs to live in it on a particular site.
How the groups can get started
Choose one small thing you would enjoy doing, say what help you need and agree on a time to check in. Groups can arrange their own conversations and bring back what they learn. A short written update helps people who could not be there catch up.
Being first to volunteer does not make someone a permanent leader. Ideas that affect the whole community need room for people to understand them, ask questions and help shape the choice. Our formal decision process is still being developed.
See the groups and choose a starting point. Email is a welcome way to contribute if Discord is unfamiliar or inconvenient.
What sort of place—and what sort of homes?
We have not chosen a location, a property or a minimum amount of land. The October discussion brought more ideas about places to learn from, land people knew about and ways to reuse what already exists. A suggestion gives us something to investigate; it does not establish that a site is available or suitable.
Use existing buildings
An existing retreat, campground or other property might already have some rooms, common spaces or utilities. We need to check condition, lawful residential use, accessibility and the cost of changes.
Compare ways to add homes
Manufactured homes and homes built on site deserve a fair comparison. Include delivery, foundations, roads, water, sewer or septic, power, permits and shared facilities—not just the house itself.
We also talked about learning from established communities. Visits, books and examples can help us ask better questions. Another community’s arrangements are not proof that the same approach will work for our site or the life we want.
For a property idea, send the location or listing, what you know firsthand and what caught your attention. You do not need to prepare a report before sharing a useful lead.
Explore the current location research or share a place or resource.
Make the costs and ownership understandable.
Affordability came up alongside the housing ideas. We need to understand both what it takes to get started and what people would pay over time. No resident price, buy-in amount or ownership arrangement has been agreed.
Getting started
land, buildings, site work, shared spaces, professional help and a reserve for things that cost more than expected.
Living there
maintenance, utilities, insurance, taxes, paid work and the shared services people actually want.
People’s rights
what someone owns or rents, how they can leave, and what happens to a home or share when circumstances change or someone dies.
The nonprofit and the future village also need separate thought. An education nonprofit’s purpose and finances do not automatically settle who owns residential land, how homes are paid for or what rights residents have.
The meeting raised several possible legal structures, including a religious structure. None was selected or established as a solution. Housing rules, public wording, ownership and tax questions need advice about the actual proposal and location. A label by itself does not answer those questions.
Meanwhile, the current project support page shows the existing ledger and ways people are helping with today’s work. That is separate from financing a future home.
Hear from people, at a pace that works.
The email list and survey help us stay connected and understand people’s hopes, practical needs and questions. More detailed conversations can help us see where needs overlap and where people want different things.
AI interviews are being introduced gradually. A conversation with a person is also an option. You can skip questions, stop or choose how much to share. Ask Max about the available route and who will see your answers before sharing anything sensitive.
Private answers are not permission to publish someone’s story. If an idea from a personal conversation would be useful to share, the person should be able to choose the wording and who sees it. Removing a name does not always keep a person unrecognizable in a small group.
Discord is for group conversation. Please share only information and photos you have permission to share. Use email to ask Max about something you would rather discuss privately.
Join the email list, tell us what matters to you or ask about a conversation.
Keep it moving, one useful step at a time.
There were offers of skills, experience and time in the meeting and its chat. Thank you! The next step is to connect willing people with work they actually want to do. An offer is the beginning of that conversation, not an appointment or an obligation.
Before the next meeting
Groups can gather questions, compare a few options or make a small proposal. Bring back what you learned, what is still unclear and what you would like the wider group to discuss.
We especially want to make progress on our shared purpose and decision process, the nonprofit’s first steps, and the needs that should guide the place and housing work.
Thanksgiving and local friendship
We discussed a casual get-together in Tempe around Thanksgiving. The date, host, venue and practical details remain open. It would be a chance to spend time together, separate from the November online meeting.
People elsewhere can also explore local friendships and small meetups. A local idea does not commit anyone to hosting or travelling.
If you would like to help today, pick one thing that interests you. If you want to keep following along, that is welcome too. Thank you to everyone helping this take shape, in public and behind the scenes.
Much love!
Max
Our thanks to the people helping · Read about our first meeting