Because of a generous gift, we have a new building where we are creating a meditation center. After eight months of actively searching in the Grass Valley and Nevada City areas, we purchased a beautiful property at 710 Zion Street in Nevada City in 2010. This solid 1949 brick building sits on an acre of land where huge pines, tall cedars, firs and English laurel enclose it for privacy. 
Barely a mile from downtown Nevada City, it's in a perfect location—near two markets, next to the College of Ayurveda, close to a cooking school, lodging and bus stop. This is an active area for the healing arts.
Inside, old red oak floors gleam in the afternoon sun holding zafus and zabutons while waiting for meditators to arrive to fill the hallway with shoes and jackets. It welcomes teachers and thangkas, Buddhas and books to make this a true Dharma Center—a place of calm abiding and laughter. A place for daylongs, for study groups, for pot lucks and classes. The building is 3900 square feet; in addition there is a caretaker's cottage and a separate workshop/garage area. A number of local professionals are giving their time and services to us for a nominal fee. Landscape architect, Rebecca Coffman is designing a beautiful entry gate and walk way with lighting to welcome people. She also designed parking areas and is helping with the master plan for the acre of existing land. Tim Brady Consulting and Denis Kutch, Architect are assisting with interior structural changes, including creating two wheelchair accessible bathrooms, enlarging the meditation space and phasing other important renovations. Janet Cohen, professional fundraiser, has given us sessions on the practical aspects of raising funds to maintain our vision.
On August 24, 2011, we received a Conditional Use Permit from Nevada City, and on January 30 we submitted our plans to the city. We hope to hear back from them within a month. Once approved, we will begin various renovations so we can receive our occupancy permit and open our doors sometime in the summer of 2012. We are actively visioning new programs, as well as working on architectural and landscape designs. The process is going well, with many Sangha members donating their time and skills.Get Involved
You are welcome to get involved in any way that interests you. We welcome volunteers for all kinds of jobs related to the proposed center and our programs. Please fill out the form on the contact page and we will get back to you.
