East Lake Commons EcoVillage is a planned pedestrian village, urban farm and wildlife preserve whose purpose is to provide a living educational community and environmental model that can benefit the surrounding community as well as be used as a planning model for future developments. Key components include:

bullet Intentional Community/Cohousing: optimize shared resources and community interdependency through smaller private houses with common houses and common land, cooperative child and after school care, village wide bulk purchase and storage, mutual assistance in small businesses, recreational amenities, and optional shared meals; optimize social interaction potential through site design; develop decision making and community management skills; create outreach to the neighboring community

bullet Pedestrian Orientation: park cars at the periphery of the site to minimize auto intrusion; develop cooperative transportation for trips outside the village; reduce dependency on the automobile by meeting as many needs as possible within the village; optimize electronic communication access for residents to the greater community

bullet Mixed Income: provide a mix of housing opportunities balancing middle and upper income housing with affordable housing opportunities.

bullet Accessibility: include in each unit and common house at least one no-step entrance and one accessible bathroom on the same floor to ensure 100% "visitability" for the physically disabled.

bullet Land Conservation: use offsetting density zoning to reduce sprawl; cluster buildings into a pedestrian oriented village, while preserve and connect green spaces for gardens and wildlife habitat.

bullet Urban Gardens: set up CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) as an urban educational model, including organic gardens, orchards, greenhouses and bee keeping, etc.; produce seasonal foodstuffs for the immediate community

bullet Wildlife Habitat: include wildlife corridors on site and promote protected extensions of the corridor off site along waterways; enhance wildlife diversity.

bullet Environmental Site Systems: pursue storm water purification - construct bio-dynamic filter system for purifying on and off site storm water before releasing back into the creek; model awareness of watershed impact.

bullet Environmental Building Systems: use common houses as a model for sustainable building; utilize renewable and healthy materials, passive and active solar heating and cooling applications, energy conservation applications, gray water and other waste recycling systems.

bullet Community Outreach: provide classroom for children's educational programs and meeting space for other non-profit and neighborhood groups.