55 ACRES
Above Lake Arenal
7 FOUNDING PARTNER POSITIONS
The entire remaining inventory
INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE
Private well, fiber, roads & gates access
What exists today
Every Phase One lot has water, electricity and gigabit fiber optic internet connected, and a delineated building site ready for construction now.
A deep well with capacity for up to 100 homes, treated without harmful chemicals, feeding every lot through below-grade water lines
Gigabit fiber optic internet, installed and operating across Phase One
Internal roads graded and surfaced with lastre, a permeable stone base suited to highland terrain
Security gates controlling access to both Phase One and Phase Two
Three completed residences, including the home Franz lives in year round
The Amapola House, finished and ready for occupancy
A working farm producing tilapia, chickens, sheep, and fruit and vegetables year round
Everything here is paid for. Marenal carries no debt and has no outside investors.
Self-reliance
The reason most partners come looking.
Water
Our own deep well, with capacity for 100 homes, treated without chemicals. No dependence on a municipal supply.
Food
A working farm on site: tilapia in managed ponds, chickens, sheep, and fruit and vegetables all year.
Power
Phase One is grid connected. Phase Two is designed off-grid, with sun, wind and biogas and battery backup.
Title registered in your own name with Costa Rica’s National Registry, under Costa Rican property law
Gated access to both phases, with an in-house team so fewer outside contractors need to come through
Costa Rica has had no standing army since 1948
Where Marenal sits
Marenal overlooks Lake Arenal, with views of the Arenal and Tenorio volcanoes and the highlands on the far side of the lake. Access is directly from Highway 143, a public national road.
Nuevo Arenal, 5 minutes: bank, supermarkets, fuel, hardware, pharmacy, clinic, veterinary, schools, restaurants and an established expat community
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Tilarán, the county seat, 30 minutes
Liberia and its international airport, 90 minutes
La Fortuna hot springs, about 1 hour
Pacific beaches, 2 hours
San José airport, under 3 hours
Lake Arenal seen from the Marenal property, with the Arenal volcano beyond
Amapola House, Lot 6
Finished, furnished, and ready to move into. $475,000, including the Founders lot discount.
Two bedrooms with a jacuzzi tub in the master, a guest suite on the ground floor with its own bathroom and garden access, a terrace looking across Lake Arenal, kitchen cabinetry in Costa Rican hardwood, and a separate enclosed garage with storage and a work area.
You are not joining a community. You are helping start one.
Four cuotas exist today. Three are held by Franz and his children, and one by Ariana Ugalde, who has managed the property for years.
Nobody outside that group has bought yet, because Franz would not open the sale until the infrastructure was in the ground.
That work is done, which is why these seven positions are open. It means the first partners arrive with real influence over what Marenal becomes, rather than inheriting rules written by strangers. The General Council is formed by the founders themselves.
If you want to move into a community that already runs, this is the wrong moment. If you want a hand in shaping one, this is the only moment.
How Marenal is governed
Marenal runs on voluntaryism and sociocracy.
Voluntaryism means every interaction rests on consent rather than coercion: nobody forces you to take part, imposes rules you did not agree to, or dictates the use of your property. Sociocracy means decisions are made by consent rather than by majority vote.
A proposal moves forward when no partner holds a principled objection to it. There is no voting, and no decision is forced over an objection.
Co-housing means you own your home outright while sharing the common spaces, with partners supporting one another through knowledge, tools and time.
What it costs
The lot
$150,000, which includes a $25,000 Founders discount off the standard $175,000 price. The discount applies to Phase One only, and ends when the last Phase One lot is sold.
Construction
budget $1,250 to $1,500 per square metre, depending on size, finishes and complexity
Soft costs
add 15 to 20 percent for soil tests, design, permitting and contingency
Closing costs
typically 3.5 to 4.5 percent of the purchase price
Community fee
$100 per month, covering roads, security, common areas and property management
Annual property tax
0.25 percent of the value declared with the municipality
A $10,000 deposit goes into escrow when you decide to proceed. The payment schedule and any financing terms are set out in your Purchase and Sale Agreement.
How you join
01
Virtual meeting
A tour of the property and an honest conversation. No commitment.
02
Visit in person
A full day on site. See everything, meet the team, ask anything.
03
Escrow deposit
$10,000, which starts a 30-day due diligence period.
04
Sign the agreement
After due diligence, and you can begin design and permitting immediately.
05
Pay the balance
On the schedule set out in your agreement.
06
Title transfer
Registered in your own name with the National Registry.
Before you place a dollar in escrow, you will have the full partnership structure, the community guidelines and the purchase agreement to review with your own attorney.
Built by one man,
over 26 years
Franz Xaver Meier was born in Munich in 1939 and left Germany in 1960 when his conscription papers arrived.
He spent 50 years in hospitality, was recognised by the City of Charleston in 2010 as one of 35 visionaries who shaped it, and bought this land in 2000 as his own Plan B. He sold a cattle farm in 2022 to fund the development, and has lived here full time since 2024.
