ORFORD — An Upper Valley real estate developer wants to rent out offices inside a Route 10 building for community members who work remotely or run small businesses.
Jonah Richard, a Fairlee resident who founded development company Village Ventures, purchased the 11,000 square-foot building last year and is ready to put the space to use.
Richard’s other business, Réal Hazen Construction, operates in a quarter of the building, with the Becket School leasing another quarter.
About 50% of the space at 633 Route 10 remains vacant, with nine semi-built out offices available and another area set up for art studios, said Richard.
The Becket School, a residential treatment facility, previously owned the building, but scaled down its operations there and sold it to him, said Richard. The property value of the building and land is currently assessed at about $544,000, according to parcel data.
After purchasing the building last summer, Richard tried to rent it out as one large commercial space, he said, but ended up pivoting to smaller units. Right now, that offices portion of the building isn’t quite ready for use. It needs paint, carpets, furniture and lighting.
“But the structure’s there, and it kind of just feels like a natural fit,” Richard said Thursday by phone.
The building has different room sizes for lease, ranging from 100 to 200 square feet, said Richard. The anticipated monthly rent is $400 to $650, with all the building amenities included, such as a kitchen, gym, conference room and river access.
Richard is looking for longer term lessees, ideally there for a 12 month period, to build a sense of community. But there’s flexibility, especially in the beginning.
“The more dedicated people are to the space, and the more time they have there, the better,” said Richard.
Richard is not aware of another co-working space in the Upper Valley that provides dedicated offices, he said.
State Rep. Monique Priestley, D-Bradford, founded Space on Main, a coworking hub in Bradford, that closed in 2025 after seven years. Its clientele included freelancers, telecommuters and entrepreneurs looking for office options in the rural area.
A few people have expressed interest, and Richard said he plans to welcome once the space is ready, he said. With renovations underway, Richard is shooting for a September opening.
In the remaining quarter of the building, Richard plans to offer artists studio space, which Richard said is in high demand.
“There’s a huge creative economy here of people, and without a lot of commercial space available,” said Richard.
