Hello!
April is off to a great start. With lots of upcoming learning opportunities and our clients hitting some big milestones it is sure to be a busy spring!
Enjoy,
- The CoHousing Solutions Team
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Don't Miss This Opportunity to Learn From the Best!
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Ever wish you has access to the knowledge the pros have floating around in their head? Here is your chance!
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The National Cohousing Conference is upon us, and there is still time to sign up for Katie McCamant and Jim Leach's all day intensive. Spend an entire day picking the brains of these cohousing professionals, and getting to know the ins and outs of the cohousing world. The workshop will introduce participants to roles and responsibilities of various players during the development process: Who does what and when do we need them. How long will it take (walking through a typical development timeline). Do we need a developer? How to get the highest value out of your consultants. What is the groups most valuable work during each phase? How do we raise the money?
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Katie McCamant, founder of CoHousing Solutions, brings the depth and diversity of her 30+ years of experience as an architect, developer, and cohousing resident to her clients. She is coauthor of Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, the authoritative book which introduced cohousing to the English speaking world. Katie co-founded McCamant & Durrett Architects with Charles Durrett in 1987. She has designed and developed dozens of communities in the United States and Canada.
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Jim Leach is president of Wonderland Hill Development Company and has lead the company in developing over 20 cohousing communities in the Colorado, California, Arizona, and Washington. He is a builder with over 50 years of experience in the design, construction and development of sustainable, planned neighborhoods.
Jim and his wife Brownie live in Silver Sage Cohousing in Boulder, CO. where they have been creatively participating in and learning about the senior cohousing living experience for the past ten years.
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The Conference: Thursday May 30th - Sunday June 2nd
Katie and Jim's Intensive: Friday May 31st, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Client Spotlight: Heartwood Commons Tulsa
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They are making big decisions about their future community
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CoHousing Solutions has been working with Heartwood Commons Tulsa since 2017, and over the last 2 years they have been crushing milestones.
They are now half way through their design workshops with Caddis Architecture and Jones Design Studio, and are getting plans in place for construction. The purpose of the workshops is to work collaboratively with their architects to make decide on the design of everything from where structures will sit on the property, to the closet sizes of individual homes.
The future residents of Heartwood Commons decided to go with the "divide and conquer" method for their collaborative process. They split up into three groups and started laying down potential designs. They then switched groups, reviewed, and revised until they settled on designs that everyone was excited about.
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We got to chat with community member, Suzy Sharp, about the group's vision after they had completed their second workshop;
"We envision our common house to be a comfortable space for visiting, book club meetings, games, family gatherings, and shared movies. It will have a wonderful kitchen and a large dining room that can be used for all types of gatherings. The common house will be the home of a Grand Piano, and two guest rooms that will provide homey accommodations for visiting family and friends. It will also include a laundry room with large washers and dryers, and an art studio/craft room that is sure to be overflowing with creative works. Our common house will have lots of natural light, be surrounded by gardens, and have a screened porch and large patio. In addition to this lovely common house, other common use buildings will include a wood shop, bike storage, and wellness pavilion for yoga/contemplative practices, and a hot tub. We’ll also have community gardens, a dog run, and plan to include a tornado shelter. After all, we do live in Oklahoma!"
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500 Communities Spotlight:
Alexandria Levitt
Catch her next workshop in Southern, CA:
Thrive in Community
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Our 500 Communities program is training the next wave of cohousing professionals, and they are up to some really cool stuff!
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Alexandria Levitt is a gerontologist, specializing in Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships around Senior Cohousing. She discovered cohousing while working on her Master of Science degree in gerontology at USC, and she began going to cohousing conferences and workshops. She saw the need for cohousing in crowded Southern California, and applied for the 500 Communities program to equip herself with the skills to make it happen. She now runs owns Levitt
Coho, provides informational sessions on cohousing and workshops to learn more about aging and thriving in our communities.
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"It's a great group of people and we learn so much from each other combined with Katie's curriculum and monthly check-ins. I have every confidence we are going to get these communities built!"
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Don's miss her next workshop!
If you are interested in learning the key elements to a happier and healthier future, you don't want to miss Alexandria's
'Thrive in Community' workshop!
2 Day Workshop May 18 + May 25th,
9:30am - 4:30pm
South Pasadena, CA
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Identify and Plan for Life's Changes with this 2-Day Workshop. Few of today's adults would be satisfied with the limited options that are available to their parents' generation. That is why we must explore better alternatives now. The key to a happier, healthier future is to start making smarter choices and plan for much improved aging options.
Topics will include:
- Take a good look at where you live now
- What do you want for your future?
- Access the creative power of community
- Get out of denial about getting older
- Acquire tools for aging well
- Cohousing and co-caring
- How to become more resilient
- How do our lives continue to be meaningful
- How to ensure that we flourish
- What is it like to live in cohousing? How to know if it's for you?
This workshop will use experiential learning to highlight the opportunities and challenges of "aging in place" and what advantages community offers in comparison to the alternatives.
Participants share stories, experiences, knowledge, beliefs, fears, doubts, laughter, hopes, dreams and aspirations. They become better equipped to make choices and plan their aging scenarios. The course helps people decide if living in a senior cohousing community would support their vision of aging successfully.
To get your tickets and learn more about Alexandria or her workshop,
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Community for the Health of It
National Cohousing Conference
Portland, OR
May 30 - June 2, 2019
You'll want to start planning your trip now, as rooms are booking up fast. Be sure to check out Katie's
pre-conference intensive
on Friday that she'll be leading with Jim Leach called "The Cohousing Development Process: 30 Years in the Trenches."
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National Cohousing Open House Day
Saturday, April 27
Cohousing communities across the country are welcoming the public for tours and visits. Individuals, families and groups are encouraged to attend this free event.
Whether you live in cohousing, are part of a forming group, or are simply curious, be sure to mark your calendar and start planning your day soon.
"I think it is important to open up our communities to show the world that is is possible to balance privacy and community while working collaboratively with your neighbors"
-Katie McCamant
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We provide
development consulting services to help you create your sustainable neighborhood
. Our team pioneered the development of cohousing in North America, and we have helped create dozens of successful communities.
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Our newest venture involves training passionate cohousing entrepreneurs through the year-long
500 Communities Program
.
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Architecture by McCamant & Durrett Architects
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CoHousing Solutions
(530) 478-1970
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