The Living City

Updates

Build log.

Dated entries. Real progress. No spin.

Blue-hour summit aerial of the Cumberland Plateau — the land we are building on

This is the page where we keep receipts. Every material milestone — land diligence, legal progress, hires, site visits, operator commitments, builder acceptances — goes here, dated, with evidence when we have it. If you want to know whether this project is actually happening, this is where you look.

Entries are added as milestones land. The newest entry is at the top.

Dated entries

2026-04-10

Due diligence package delivered.

A 296-file due diligence package was delivered under NDA from the seller-side broker, covering geological surveys, title work, prior third-party appraisals (2014 Woodford estimate: $34.76M; 2022 Canvas CFO estimate: $81.6M), coal reserves, silica sand assays (98.52% SiO₂ post-flotation per the 2025 RCWalker analysis), oil and gas production history, and timber cruise data. The project's diligence team is working through the materials now.

2026-04-08

Letter of Intent signed with Ketchen Holdings LLC.

A non-binding Letter of Intent was signed between a land-holding vehicle under Temple of Civilization Inc. (Delaware 501(c)(3)) and Ketchen Holdings LLC for the acquisition of 15,491 contiguous acres on Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau. The property spans four tracts — Elk Valley, Westbourne Mountain, Mars Sand Mountain, and the Buffalo Tract — across Campbell and Scott Counties. Purchase price: $25 million (down from the original $37.6 million ask). Earnest money: $25,000. A 90-day due diligence period begins on execution of the definitive Purchase and Sale Agreement.

2026-Q1

Build Civilization Inc. formed.

Build Civilization Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware C-Corporation to hold the project. The structure contemplates nested land-holding LLCs under the parent for the acquisition itself, and will be expanded as the Tennessee utility district, operator zones, and cohort entities come online.

Currently in progress

  • Phase I Environmental Site Assessment

    Initiated as part of the 90-day diligence period, scheduled for completion before the close.

  • Federal and state grant applications

    Active conversations with ARC (Appalachian Regional Commission), POWER, EDA, USDA Rural Development, and Tennessee FastTrack. Targeting 50–80% combined coverage of Phase 1 infrastructure costs, consistent with program rules and comparable Appalachian distressed-zone projects.

  • Legal counsel engagement

    In progress. Counsel will be named on the Team page once finalized.

  • Founding Cohort outreach

    Recruiting funnel open. Early conversations with prospective operators, builders, and investors are underway. Outreach to engineering, AI research, advanced manufacturing, design and architecture, media, and governance communities has begun.

  • First confirmed advisor

    On board and committed to twice-weekly working sessions on the governance kernel and coordination loop. Publicly named as additional advisors join.

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