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21 <br /> Hands Four Development Cooperative <br /> aeti�ead" PO Box 1201 Carrboro, NC 27510 <br /> r HandsFourDevelopment@gmail.com <br /> Hands Four Development Cooperative - The Journey <br /> March 20, 2024 <br /> This development is being undertaken by the Hands Four Development Cooperative (H4D) <br /> with the cooperation of neighbor Thomas Cheek. The H4D land consists of 90 acres <br /> purchased by H4D from Mr. Cheek, and he has retained 35 of the original 125 acres of <br /> farmland for his use. <br /> This farmland was purchased by Tom Cheek's family in 1957, when he was six years old. The <br /> Cheek family lived on and farmed the land into the 1980s. After farming activities ceased, <br /> forest regenerated naturally in the formerly cultivated fields and pastures over gently rolling <br /> hills, punctuated by one major and two lesser stream corridors cutting across from west to <br /> east. Tom inherited the property, and in 2006, he had it selectively logged for timber (pine). <br /> Since 2010, about 4 acres have been cultivated as a muscadine vineyard. <br /> Tom Cheek had long desired to make a substantial portion of the land available for <br /> development. He wanted a developer that would share his respect for the beauty and rural <br /> character of the land and would agree to develop it in a way that would preserve those virtues <br /> to the greatest extent possible. In H4D, Mr. Cheek found the organization that would fulfill <br /> that vision. An agreement was reached to sell 90 acres to H4D on which to locate the future <br /> Fiddlehead Corner. The sale closed on August 16, 2023. <br /> The story of H4D began with the grassroots nonprofit organization called the Triangle <br /> Traditional Music and Dance Retirement Society (2T). In 2014, 2T was incorporated by <br /> friends who knew each other through instrumental and vocal jam sessions and house <br /> concerts, contra dancing to live music, English country dancing, square dancing, clogging and <br /> international folk dance. Many have known one another and lived in the Piedmont area for <br /> decades. They share a deep respect and concern for civil society and the environment, and <br /> many work for social justice and sustainability. There is a strong sense of the value of <br /> sustainable living choices and appreciation for nature's bounty. <br /> 2T educated the community about various aspects of aging, such as Medicare and how to set <br /> up a health care power of attorney and a living will. They soon found themselves having <br /> serious discussions about the reality and ramifications of aging. Led by three forward-thinking <br /> 2T members, they jokingly talked of waltzing right up to the end of life in the company of their <br /> dearest friends. They hatched an audacious, optimistic plan to create a community that <br />