CoHousing Solutions Newsletter | April 2024 | |
In The News: Ten Lessons in Neighborliness from a Cohousing Community
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"The headlines are everywhere: Americans have fewer close friends and spend more time online," wrote author and cohouser Courtney E. Martin in a recent article in Greater Good Science Center (published by UC Berkeley). | |
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The article is long (though worth the read). But, we've summarized the key points here:
- 🔓 Sharing unlocks abundance
- 👤 Neighborliness is for introverts, too
- 🐜 The tiny things add up to a big feeling of mutuality
- 📍 Proximity is key
- 🙏 Nourish the soil with gratitude in order to weather the tough times
- 🚌 Kids get to be what they can see
- 🎉 Neighbors make great companions for ritual
- 🌎 Sharing is great for our aching planet
- 👫 We're safer together
- 🏆 Intergenerational neighborliness is a win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win (as she puts it)
Read more about what she has to say about each of these topics in her article!
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RootedNW (“Rooted”), a CS client, has a big vision...saving farmland and making it available to small farmers by clustering the allowable density of homes on a small portion of the land in several cohousing villages. And that is exactly what they are doing with their 240 acres of pasture and forest land an hour north of Seattle!
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Snohomish County has been supportive of the concept since the community founders first talked with planners there, but they didn’t have the appropriate zoning in place to process it. An international pandemic, which started just as they were getting going, slowed the process further.
Now, finally, with a “Rural Village Housing Demonstration Program” Ordinance approved by the County, Rooted is working its way through the planning approval process with plans to break ground in 2025.
Rooted will cluster the 70 homes allowed on the property (existing zoning) in two cohousing villages, along with farm buildings and eventually a farmstand. Instead of spreading roads and infrastructure across most of the 270 acres subdivided into 5-10 acre lots, they are saving 85% of the property as farmland, forest, and open space. The community has already begun leasing land to different farmers, whether that might be a couple of acres of berries, a vegetable CSA, or herbs. You don’t need to be a farmer to live here, but you do need to want to help preserve America’s farmland for small farmers.
You can get a sense of their future community with this fun new fly-through from project architect Bryan Bowen of Caddis Collaborative. CHECK IT OUT!
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New Community Forming in Bellingham, WA | |
We're thrilled to announce a new, exciting cohousing project forming in the City of Bellingham, WA called 4th Corner Commons. Shelly Parks of CoVision Consulting (and a CoHousing Solutions 500 Communities Program Affiliate) is co-launching this project. | |
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The group already has committed Members and is looking for the rest of their future neighbors as they begin a serious search for property. Head to their website to sign up for an upcoming Information Session today!
About Bellingham: The City is home to Western Washington University and is known for its magnificent scenery, outdoor recreation and small-town feel. It truly is a great place to live!
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The Reality of Building Community With Friends | |
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Many people share with us their dream of starting a cohousing group with their friends. People have this conversation as they hang around the BBQ with friends, vacation together, and again as they ponder retirement. They imagine the comfort and ease of having friends nearby to help out with childcare, to share a meal with, or to check in on you after surgery. | |
A meaningful goal indeed, but this is rarely how things work out. More often, those interested in cohousing end up forming a community with people who were initially strangers but share their dream of creating a collaborative neighborhood in a specific location and timeframe.
In Katie's 35 years of working with cohousing groups, she knows of no completed communities that launched with a group of friends that ultimately moved in together. Of course, by the time you have moved in, you'll have gotten to know a bunch of new friends who will be your neighbors.
When you are forming a physical community, you need to agree on a specific location, cost expectations, and timeframe. That's hard to do with friends. When was the last time you had a heart-to-heart with friends about how much you can afford for a house, let alone how you were going to cover the cash flow to get there? And it seems it is never the right time for all your friends to do this.
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Cohousing is not intended to replace relationships with family and close friends, but rather to provide an opportunity to have casual but meaningful relationships with neighbors. Some think of it as "the third place" - which is just the intersection between private homes and public spaces. You know your neighbors, but in a more casual way vs very close friends. Yet, you are surrounded by people you know and trust. Some may become close friends for life; others are good neighbors. Cohousing creates a sense of belonging beyond the walls of your house.
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You still have your extended family and those life-long friends. In cohousing, you're just adding something many Americans are missing today - a connection with the people next door that you see every day.
So, if you are thinking about forming a community with friends, consider reaching beyond those people to gather the people who share your community goals for location, timeframe and cost expectations. OR - save yourself a lot of time and work by joining a forming or existing community.
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Cohousing National Open House Days | |
On Saturday, May 4th, and Sunday, May 5th, 2024, cohousing communities across the country will open their doors to neighbors and friends from their surrounding communities, and others interested in learning more about cohousing. National Open House Days is cohousers’ chance to share with you the story of cohousing – who we are, how we live, and why we love this way of life (and why you should consider it, too!) | |
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A few of our "forming" California clients will be participating in the event - we encourage you to learn more about their exciting projects! | |
Washington Commons, West Sacramento, CA
Site Tour
Sunday, May 5th from 1 to 3 p.m. PST
In-Person
Learn More & RSVP
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Mission Peak Village, Fremont, CA
Neighborhood Walk
Sunday, May 5th from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m PST
In-Person
Learn More & RSVP
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Berkeley Moshav, Berkeley, CA
Information Session
Sunday, May 5 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. PST
Online
Learn More & RSVP
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Save The Date for CohoUS's National Conference! | |
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Be sure to save the date and join CoHousing Solutions and the Cohousing Association of the U.S. for the 2024 National Cohousing Conference in Denver. The biennial conference will be a space for connection, learning and growth. | |
We will listen deeply, share openly and reflect on the past, present and future of the cohousing movement. While grounded in our commitment to belonging, we will explore strategies to make cohousing a more equitable and diverse space.
Learn More
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Let's make your dream
neighborhood a reality.
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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. | |
CoHousing Solutions
(530) 478-1970
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