There has been a lot going on around here! Katie McCamant has spent the first two months of the year flying all over the country hosting workshops, several of our client communities have gotten land under contract, and other communities are selling out and gearing up for move-in!

We are always impressed with the tenacious spirit of cohousing communities, but we are even more impressed when it is young people at the helm, spearheading the movement. We are witnessing a trend of more and more young adults getting involved with cohousing, hoping to raise their children in authentic community.

It is well documented that young people are growing lonelier and lonelier. Millennials (anyone born between 1981-1996) have recently passed up Boomers and Gen X as the loneliest generation, and an increasing number of studies are showing that the first group of Gen Z adults (currently ages 18-22) are even lonelier.

David T. Hsu, a social scientist, and the author of " Untethered" said that solving Americans’ increasing sense of isolation requires “advocates for the most isolated among us; passionate community-builders from every sector; entrepreneurs obsessed with building new and refurbished solutions for this age-old problem; visionary funders to advance the agenda; artists and storytellers with a gift for continually revealing our condition.”

We couldn't agree more with this sentiment by Hsu, and we believe that several of our new client communities are being brought to life by just the young activists that he is describing.

Here are a few communities that are coming together largely in part by the next generation of movers-and-shakers:

Bozeman Cohousing

Started by a group of young community leaders in April of 2019, Bozeman Cohousing is quickly flying through the stages of community development. Last week they closed on a 5 acre property located along the regional trail system, between the university and downtown Bozeman.

As many of the founding members of this community have young children, they are looking to create an environment where kids can grow safely within authentic community and where parents can support one another.

Haystack Heights

This 39 unit community is one of the largest communities we have worked with, and is now officially SOLD OUT! They are awaiting a much anticipated start of construction in March. Mariah McKay and Jim Dawson are two of the community's founding members, and are a couple of the young community leaders that we have had the pleasure to collaborate with.

"To have our future kids be able to run outside and play with friends and not have to worry about cars or driving across town will be a dream come true."

- Mariah McKay

"I love cohousing because it's all about doing things together for a better and easier life. It makes sustainability less work and more fun because you add community to the equation in meaningful ways." 

- Jim Dawson

Northwest AgriVillage

Our founder, Katie McCamant, recently flew to the State of Washington to facilitate a Kick-Off Workshop with this new client. The founding members this community are working through feasibility issues on the 240 acre property that they have under contract. The property includes an old dairy farm that the community plans to restore, and cultivat the property for ecological farming opportunities for both the community and commercial sale.

Katie's workshop tour around the US is just getting started as more and more of our clients get land under contract.

Mission Peak Cohousing in Fremont, CA, recently came under contract with a piece of land in the Bay Area. While Fremont is a bustling city, the community aims to create a "small town character" within their neighborhood, and the location of their site lends itself to this goal. The site is located in a walkable/bikeable neighborhood, only a quarter mile from the local farmers market and within walking distance to various parks, shops, entertainment, and transit.

Katie will be hosting a Kick-Off Workshop with the community on March 14-15.

Houston Cohousing in Houston, TX, has been working with 500 Communities Program graduate and CoHousing Solutions Affiliate, David Kelley. As the developer on the project, David has recently helped the group get land under contract in Houston's East End, and will be facilitating a Kick-Off workshop with Katie in Houston this weekend. If you are in the Houston area and are interested in learning more about this project, Katie will be speaking at a FREE information session on Friday the 28th.

On March 1st we will begin to accept applications for our next 500 Communities Program. Not ready to apply? Don't worry, our application period will be open until June 15th, so you have plenty of time to learn more about the program before deciding if it is for you.

Did you catch our webinar? Katie recently hosted a live 500 Communities webinar to introduce the 2020 program. Missed it? That's OK, there will be follow up webinars, and if you are interested in the program we highly encourage you to attend at least one. Be sure to sign up for our program updates to get all the most up-to-date information about the program.

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.

Our newest venture involves training passionate cohousing entrepreneurs through the year-long 500 Communities Program .

Photo by Ed Asmus

Architecture by McCamant & Durrett Architects