Lincoln Court: From old-fashioned motor court to "intentional urban community"

This 1939 auto window decal for Lincoln Court conjures the city's rodeo and Marlboro Man traditions.

Cheyenne native Alan O'Hashi is always cooking up something interesting. 

He's a fine filmmaker. His documentary short "Aging Gratefully: The Power of Community" recently was named one of the International Award of Excellence winners at the International Film Festival for Spirituality, Religion and Visionary. He now lives in Boulder, Colo., which is but 99 highway miles from Denver but light-years away in attitude. 

Alan has come up with a plan for an "intentional urban community" for Cheyenne. Here's a description:

The LINCOLN COURT is an ambitious mixed use intentional urban community. The project is a collaboration among Wyoming Community Media, Caddis Architects, Wonderland Hills Development and Dozzer LLC.

In addition to the innovative mixed uses, including affordable and universally-accessible housing and cohousing is a higher purpose around creativity -- creative aging, nurturing artistic entrepreneurs, cultural exhibits and performances in residence.

Lincoln Court once was a motor court that was part of the legendary Hitching Post Inn. Alan worked at the Hitch as a teen, as did so many Cheyennites who now find themselves in the "creative aging" category. Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/LincolnCourtCheyenne/about/

My brother Tom has accused me of promoting Agenda 21 with this project. In case you don't know the term, it's a United Nations effort to get countries to adopt smart growth development that encourages walkable communities that will reduce carbon use and possibly slow global warming. This effort has caused conservatives, especially those in energy-producing states, to misconstrue this as a plan to take away our cars and trucks and make us live in Hobbit homes instead of sprawling McMansions. At 6-foot-2, I am as unsuited as Gandalf to a Hobbit home, although my tiny wife and cat probably would fit quite nicely in Frodo's house. Lincoln Court, alas, will not feature Middle Earth dwellings but those more suitable to our high and dry western climate and landscape. It also will feature live-work spaces for artists, retail stores (coffee shop is a must) and offices. Alan has a rough plan for the property that will be anchored by the new multipurpose sports facility that's on next year's Sixth Penny Tax ballot and adjacent to the old site of Lincoln Court off of Lincolnway,

I like this project for several reasons. For one, it has a story. I am a storyteller. Maybe I will end up as Lincoln Court's resident storyteller, spinning tales from past and present. There already is an excellent book about the Hitching Post Inn by my state gov colleague Sue Castaneda. You can find "The Hitching Post Inn -- Wyoming's Second Capitol" at local bookstores, including the State Museum store, and probably the library too.  

But there are always more stories to tell. 

The first organizational meeting for Lincoln Court will be held Dec. 6 in Cheyenne. Details to follow. Or keep track on the Facebook page (see link above).