For months, my wife, Nicki, and I have toured one model home after another. We’re empty nesters—so it’s time to move. On a spring-like February day, we drive two miles off I-71 to the Aberlin Springs agri-community just 20 minutes north of Loveland.
As we wind up the hill, the sign reads “Happiness Is Just Around the Corner.” We raise a brow. A little cliché maybe? But we round that corner into an experience—and neighborhood—like no other in the tristate.
We meet Leslie Aberlin at the Swiss-style chalet—a community space and originally her parents’ home.
“This was dad’s office—Fred Aberlin was my king of the dragons,” Leslie smiles. “He focused on King Arthur because he identified with that round table—mentoring was his whole thing.”
Eighteen years ago, Leslie founded her homebuilding company, Pendragon (a nod to King Arthur, of course), the exclusive Aberlin builder—a 142-acre community that offers three house styles: Courtyard, Manor and Estate homes, currently in Phase 3 of 5. But more than floor plans or countertops, Leslie is passionate about its mission.
“Healthy lifestyle!” she proclaims. “A place where kids run barefoot and they’re not on cell phones. They fish and run in the woods. We also have an herbalist; she’s getting them involved. It’s happening.”
Nicki and I point to our boots. Houses can wait. We’re ready to tour the farm. Leslie walks us through a kitchen space where the community hosts open-to-all cooking classes, then through the farm market, and last to the welcoming committee—goats Buddy and Betty.
“We have chickens,” Leslie says. “And ducks. We’re trying two different breeds, some for eggs, some for meat.”
The farm also boasts two greenhouses. “Is there enough food to sustain the community?” my wife asks. Leslie explains that the farmers researched how many calories a person needs a year—they know how much to grow.
Jacob Thompson and Amanda Bloomquist, “partners in all things,” lead the 80-acre farm. After an inspiring permaculture course, Jacob started Barefoot Design, an ecosystem restoration and landscaping company. He was working on Aberlin’s green spaces when Leslie needed a farmer. Amanda’s background is in the wellness industry. Her passion centers on holistic approaches to food. Both were a perfect fit for the community.
Jacob says together they want “to create a strong, local food system that builds healthy bodies and minds ... and that’s good for the environment.”
In addition to their regenerative agriculture mission, the dynamic duo (who are residents as well) are deeply connected to their neighbors. Jacob explains that the friendly community is in part due to the homeowners’ shared purpose. Amanda agrees. “In addition to that shared vision and mission is a real desire for community.”
As Leslie takes us to houses, everyone greets us. “Even the kids wave,” Leslie says. “We have happy hour, book club, card club, cooking classes. I realized in these other neighborhoods I’ve built in, people were cut off.”
Phil Taylor used to live in that kind of neighborhood until his wife brought him to Aberlin kicking and screaming. “I was happy in Anderson and didn’t want to move,” Phil says.
Then he smiles. “As a Norwood neighborhood kid, you know Joey and Tim from next-door, and Mrs. So-and-so who lives across the street. I grew up there, knew everybody, and played outside until the end of the day. But we lived in Anderson for 13 years—I waved at the guy across the street. I knew he was a doctor—that’s all I knew.”
It’s different in Aberlin.
“Leslie purposely made a community,” Phil continues. “Every house has a front porch.”
Phil and his wife live in a courtyard. They eat dinner on their front porch whenever possible—and dinners have never been better.
“I have fresh spinach that came out of the ground that day or the day before,” Phil says, “It doesn’t taste anything like what you’re getting at the grocery.”
He’s even trying a little farming himself at the community garden. “My wife's father grew the best tomatoes ... I’ve bought the same type and I’m going to try his methodology and see how it goes.”
The houses are gorgeous, but Nicki and I can’t seem to concentrate on floor plans and pantries. We want to hear more from Leslie about health, the environment, her plans.
“We really need to turn things around—as a community, as a people,” Leslie says.
That gives us pause.
“That’s why I'm standing out here talking to anybody who’ll listen. It’s serious. But it can also be fun. I’m going to leave behind this amazing footprint—and I’m going to party on the way out.”
And that’s exactly what we wanted to hear.
AberlinSprings.com | 3396 Harvest Ridge, Morrow | 513.295.5081
They want to create a strong, local food system that builds healthy bodies and minds ... and that’s good for the environment.
TRUE FARM-TO-TABLE LIVING
Homes currently start at $500,000 to $1.5 million. Residents pay a yearly $2,500–$2,800 HOA fee and $850 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) fee.
Each courtyard is a habitat. Phase I is committed to butterfly and caterpillar host plants. Pollinators for bees are planted in one courtyard and wildflowers planted in another.
Residents do not have to farm. Increasingly, the farmers are able to open opportunities for volunteering and allow residents to really get dirty and dig in.
The farmers are implementing new critters like the Kunekune, a heritage breed—smaller than commercial pigs and less destructive because they graze on grass.
PENDRAGON + ABERLIN’S PRESIDENT
In 2011, Leslie suffered from an autoimmune disease. Her cure? She attributes it to discovering functional medicine and understanding the toxins in food. She ate organic raw food for two months. The genesis for Aberlin Springs came in a dream about her father—she had an organic farm and she was a homebuilder, and her father said, “Put them together.” She began researching agri-communities that day.