Washington House Cohousing | November 2017 Newsletter
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November 4 and 19 at 10:00 a.m.
Site Tour & Neighborhood Walk
4th & G Streets, West Sacramento
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Join us to see our incredible site and talk about the real possibility of creating the first cohousing community in West Sacramento. Our neighborhood walk will be along the Sacramento River to the Crocker Museum or to a nearby coffee shop where we will continue the discussion of what’s involved to make this happen. It will be a great time to get your questions answered.
See you at 4th and G!
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What could the cohousing look like?
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PDX Commons in Portland, OR
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We are often asked, “What will it look like?” The answer is, “We don’t know because it has not been designed.” What we know is that it will very likely be similar to communities that are in similar locations such as the recently completed
PDX Commons (see our last newsletter) in Portland, Oregon. PDX Commons is a 4-story elevator structure on ½ acre with parking and community facilities on the ground floor (our site is just a little larger). Their community kitchen and dining room are on the second floor adjacent to an outdoor patio/deck. The individual homes are single-level 1, 2 and 3 bedroom condominiums that open onto an open-air deck on the 2
nd, 3
rd and 4
th floors. They are creating a
roof top garden – something that we might create as well.
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Other similar size urban infill cohousing communities that we could take inspiration from include:
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Phoenix Commons in Oakland, CA
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You too can have a say in designing our cohousing community!
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You can help us determine what it will look like by joining in to help us create Washington House. We are almost ready to start the design process.
We’d love to have you on board to be a part of bringing your talents into this creative, collaborative endeavor. Find out more at one of our
upcoming site tours and at our upcoming November 15 workshop
Creating a Culture of Cohousing.
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Photo of Katie McCamant during a design workshop for Cotati Cohousing
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Creating a Culture of Cohousing: Session 2
Evening workshop with light refreshments, Topic TBA
November 15, 6-8 p.m.
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Our last two evening discussions have been enjoyable and informative. We have learned from each other and gotten to know each other. We expect to have a few experts to contribute to the overall dialogue. It should a very interesting evening!
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We have had interest from families in joining our community and we would welcome them! Thus far, finances have been a problem for some and we are looking for ways to solve this problem. We welcome your suggestions. Stu Wilson and Anne Geraghty will be participating in the upcoming Housing Affordability Summit on October 30th to glean ideas. We will report back what they learn.
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Cohousing is not a new idea
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While Washington House will be the first cohousing community in West Sacramento, it is not the first in this area. In fact, there are many cohousing communities in California and throughout the country -- 166 of them according the Cohousing Association Directory (
www.cohousing.org). Cohousing came to this country a little over 30 years ago. Katie McCamant of
CoHousing Solutions (our consultant) and her husband Chuck Durrett, inspired by their studies in Denmark, brought this form of community-created housing to this country with their first book in 1988. They have been involved in many cohousing communities including the first in the U.S., Muir Commons in Davis. You'll even get your very own copy of
Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities when you
become an Explorer Member!
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Wondering about privacy in cohousing? Having privacy is a key component. All of the homes are fully independent. Community is created by the homeowners working together to share some meals and other activities – as well as working with architects to design a community supportive environment.
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What's going on in West Sac?
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We’re back on the Radio and will be in INSIDE publications too! We are sponsoring announcements on CAP-Radio the week before our site tours beginning in November. In addition, we will be having a small advertisement in two the INSIDE Publications – INSIDE the Grid and this month, INSIDE Arden starting this month.
We are pleased to be in the INSIDE publications as they focus on what’s going on in Sacramento’s neighborhoods. We are also excited that they plan to start a
West Sacramento edition in the coming year and are already including articles about West Sacramento including a recent article about
Flourish Farm, a small & beautiful urban flower farm located just a few blocks from our site!
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West Sacramento is a prime location for a variety of activities and interests.
For those of you living outside of Sacramento, plan a weekend trip here! INSIDE publications list many wonderful events coming up in Sacramento. There is much to see and do.
Here are some ideas...
- Richard Diebenkorn: Beginnings 1942-1955 – thru Jan. 7
- Exuberant Earth, Ceramics by Ruth Rippon Oct. 29 – Feb. 4
Reconciliation Singers Voices of Peace
Scottish Rite Center
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Thank you for spreading the word!
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Did you know that word-of-mouth referrals from people you respect, is the most successful kind of referral. So, thank you, for spreading the word!!
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It’s a big step to make a decision to become part of a community such as Washington House. For this reason, we suggest that you take it in steps. Learn about cohousing,
become an “Explorer” member, ask a lot of questions until you are ready to commit.
We welcome you to join with us in our commitment to creating our Washington House Community!
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Questions? Want to get more involved with Washington House?
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Site Tour & Neighborhood Walks
November 4 and 19 at 10 a.m.
Meet at 4th and G Streets, West Sacramento
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Creating a Culture of Cohousing:
Solving the Financial Equation
Wednesday, November 15th, 6-8 p.m.
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Aging Awareness Conference at American River College
November 18, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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Washington House Business Meeting
November 9
Open to Members and Explorers
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We are planning a bike tour soon! Watch for details...
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Thanks for reading! We hope to hear from you soon.
In community,
Your friends from Washington House Cohousing
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