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Fair Oaks EcoHousing Nearing Construction!
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We're pleased to announce we have 20 committed households, out of 30 total. That means we're more than 65% sold out! We need 21 households to start construction, so we're very close.
We're still welcoming additional neighbors. Read below for a number of upcoming opportunities to connect with the Fair Oaks EcoHousing community.
If your resolution is to
build more community into your life
in 2017
, consider joining our supportive village in Fair Oaks, where neighbors know and care about each other.
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2017 Cohousing Conference Registration Open
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"The National Conference will change your life - showing you a new possibility for living and connecting you to people who want to make it happen."
-Grace Kim, Capitol Hill Urban (Seattle, WA)
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May 19-21, 2017
Nashville, TN
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A few Fair Oaks EcoHousing members plan to go to this year's Cohousing Conference, and we invite you to consider attending too.
Conference sessions range from cohousing basics to hot topics in sustainability to energy efficiency and green building techniques - all centered on how community sustain us for healthier lifestyles.
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FO EcoHousing Site Tour
Saturday, January 14th
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Fair Oaks EcoHousing
will be a neighborhood of 30 homes on 3.7 acres in Fair Oaks, CA, 18 miles east of downtown Sacramento.
Come see the site and our architectural plans, and meet our members at an upcoming tour. Kids are welcome.
Meet at
10:30am
at the Fair Oaks Coffeehouse in Fair Oaks Village, at 10223 Fair Oaks Blvd, at the intersection with Park Drive. Look for us on the side of the Coffeehouse, in the patio area or in the building at the back.
We can carpool to the site. The tour will last about an hour, with an optional lunch afterwards at the
Siam Patio Restaurant
or the
Smokey Oaks Tavern
.
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We're seeking the rest of our future neighbors!
Can't join us that day?
An additional tour will be offered
Sunday, January 29!
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Potluck
Sunday, January 22nd
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Join us for a potluck at 6:00pm in Fair Oaks.
This will be a chance for a fun evening with the members of Fair Oaks EcoHousing.
First-time guests do not need to bring a dish to share. Food and drink will be provided.
Family-friendly: kids are welcome.
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Bay Area Cohousing Presentation
Sunday, January 29th: 2-3:30pm
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Learn about the benefits of cohousing from future
Fair Oaks EcoHousing residents.
Vista Del Lago Clubhouse
151 Buckingham Drive, Santa Clara, CA
Imagine living in a community close to hiking, biking, nature walks, fishing and kayaking, just blocks from the American River and its miles of bike trails. Fair Oaks is in Eastern Sacramento County, with excellent connections via Amtrak.
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Welcome to Our Newest Members!
Meet our two newest couples below - Alan & Michelle and Al & Joan.
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Alan & Michelle (and dog Bonny)
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ALAN
was born in Wyoming, then grew up in Texas, Utah, and New Mexico. He graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Computer Engineering and moved to California to work for HP in Roseville. Alan has developed numerous computer networking products since then and has been awarded 28 patents for his work. Alan is contributing his computer knowledge to Fair Oaks EcoHousing as our volunteer webmaster.
Alan enjoys skiing, kayaking, and nature-oriented travel. He tries to go up to the snow at least once per week during ski season. Alan loves to travel, to be near water, and to visit his daughter in Seattle.
Alan’s favorite travel memories are of snorkeling trips to St. John in the US Virgin Islands.
In addition to enjoying the benefits of a cohousing community, Alan is looking forward to living near the American River Parkway for evening walks and kayaking and being able to travel more, by having a home that is easy to care for.
MICHELLE
was born in Tennessee, grew up in New Jersey and Louisiana, and lived in England, Texas, Arizona, and San Francisco, with several adventures around the world, before calling Sacramento home. Michelle enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, visiting her stepdaughter in Seattle, hanging out with her twin sister and nephews, arts and crafts, and playing various instruments, when not working and caring for her aging mother. Michelle works as a senior environmental scientist for the State of California. She daydreams of learning the ukulele and playing while she, Alan and their yellow Lab, Bonny, float down the American River.
Michelle first learned about cohousing in Arizona, and then again in San Francisco, but the timing wasn't right until now to join a cohousing community. Michelle is thrilled that Fair Oaks EcoHousing combines all her favorite elements of communities where she’s lived before. The people, the eco-friendly village design, and the location near the American River all drew Michelle to Fair Oaks EcoHousing.
BONNY was born in Texas and raised by a loving family with other sweet dogs for four years before moving to California to live with Alan and Michelle two years ago. Bonny loves belly rubs, playing with all dogs and kids large and small, swimming, hiking, kayaking, and kibble. Bonny has the amazing ability to be calm and quiet until it’s time to party. Just say the word and she’s ready for anything, whether it's a quiet cuddle or a joyful leap into a lake. Bonny thinks living in an active community next to a river with more people and dogs to play with is an absolutely fantastic idea and can’t wait to move in.
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The opportunity to join a small village community may be the siren’s call to Joan and Al Lacoste to re-experience their childhood homes. Al grew up in small-town Emeryville when neighborhood kids hopped on slow moving trains, relieved small fruits from local factories as workers looked the other way, and spent most of their free moments playing baseball or sneaking into the Oakland Oaks’ stadium only a few blocks away. Joan’s childhood home was a small farm in Plainville, Kansas, where a family gathering meant at least 50 people.
AL
graduated from the University of San Francisco, and after a year at the University of Strasbourg in France, returned to USF for graduate classes. His first teaching position was in the Elk Grove Unified School District, and it's from there he retired after many years teaching the subjects he loved.
JOAN
is a graduate of Marymount College in Kansas, and after a year teaching in a small town, joined a group of friends on their way to California for the summer. She never left. No humidity – how wonderful! After spending a year in public relations, she returned to teaching and there she met Al. Over the years she has taught all classes, 1st through 12th grades. In the early 80’s she was the first mother to establish a Home School in Nevada County when it became apparent that the transfer from the Fair Oaks Waldorf School to the three different elementary schools in Nevada City was causing too much stress. At the time, the family was living in tents while building their house. More stress they didn’t need! One of the subjects Joan stressed in the Lacoste House Home School was phonics, and she's still teaching this subject in a third grade classroom at Golden Valley Charter School.
Al and Joan have four children who all live within an hour’s drive. Last count, there are nine grandkids. They enjoy spending time with family, traveling, talking politics (both are
history majors), playing board games, and watching sports.
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"If Dorm Life Grew up and Got a Job"
Boston Globe | December 2016
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"Part of the appeal of moving into cohousing was you know your neighbors and you help each other,” Paschall said. “It seems old fashioned, but it’s a nice thing to have in this world. My five-year-old goes out and visits with neighbors. She has a degree of independence, and we have a degree of security about it. I feel like it’s out of a ’50s sitcom, and it’s really rare to find.”
Read more here
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Want to Learn More About Fair Oaks and Sacramento?
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Click below for useful links, there's a lot to keep us busy here!
Pictured: Fair Oaks Village, Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, Floating the American River.
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Fair Oaks EcoHousing | www.FairOaksEcoHousing.org
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