The Rachel Carson Eco- Village of Providence Heights, a new development focused on sustainable building and a co-housing community, is planned on the Sisters of Divine Providence campus in McCandless.

McCandless Town Council on March 24 unanimously approved rezoning of the site from Special District to a Moderate Density Neighborhood District. A public hearing on the rezoning request was held Feb. 26.

The Sisters of Divine Providence, which neighbors La Roche University and houses the Providence Heights Alpha School, is gifting 8 acres of land along Cumberland Road for the new community, said Stefanie Danes, project manager.

“It was providential that we learned that the Sisters were interested in developing this parcel and, more importantly, we learned that their vision aligned with ours,” Danes said. “Our goals are to respect and enhance the ecosystems of this site.”

The change in zoning would protect neighbors from large-scale development allowed by the SD zoning and also is in character with homes located behind the property, said Sister Michele Bisbey, provincial director at Sisters of Divine Providence.

The religious community campus is also located across Cumberland Road from UPMC Passavant hospital.

The Rachel Carson EcoVillage at Providence Heights, named after the late environmentalist and Springdale native, is the only one of its kind in Western Pennsylvania, according to Danes.

The approval process with McCandless remains active.

“The EcoVillage still needs to go through the full land development process that applies to all major land developments in the town,” planning director RJ Susko said.

That includes technical zoning and site design review of the application with the town engineer, and reviews by the planning commission and council. Once approved, building code review occurs before the issuance of building permits, Susko said.

The EcoVillage planners entered in a partnership four years ago with Chatham University to develop the community at the Eden Hall Campus in Richland. It was part of the university’s sustainability program, and the village would have been a demonstration, Danes said. The university, though, had to rescind the offer in 2023.

Planners already had committed to more than 25 of 35 homes and started searching for new land, she said. The homes are pre-sold.

About the same time, Sisters of Divine Providence were looking to downsize their campus, Bisbey said. The parcel for the EcoVillage was purchased by the sisters on Oct. 10, 1924, as there was a need for the land, but that has since changed over the years and the EcoVillage made sense.

“We found there seems to be a seamless alignment of our values and our hopes for the future. We have no doubt that our legacy is secure in their hands,” Bisbey said.

The EcoVillage has a targeted move-in date of early 2025, pending McCandless approval processes, Danes said. The properties would be taxed at a residential rate, according to information presented at the February public hearing.

Buildings at the EcoVillage are being designed for Passive House certification, with the goal of achieving 100% of energy from renewable sources, according to rachelcarson ecovillage.org.

Danes said they also commissioned a survey that would identify the location, size and species of every tree on the property. They also will work on stream and wetland delineation, and are working with a master arborist.

“Our goal is not only to avoid doing harm to his beautiful site, but to contribute in a positive way to our natural and human surroundings,” she said.

Co-housing is an intentional community where members of each household have ownership of their own residence, and also share in activities and ownership of common facilities, Danes said.

There will be a common house, like a clubhouse, with a kitchen and dining area for residents.

The community is self-governing, which means it doesn’t have a board or a management company but is organized for residents make decisions equitably.

The Rachel Carson EcoVillage has informational meetings scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. April 16 and 10:30 a.m. to noon April 27. For more information, text 412-573-1927 or email RCEIntro@gmail.com.

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