In this issue:

• Mission Peak Village design reveal
• Cohousing Conference reflection
• Podcast ft. Katie McCamant
• Wild Sage unit available

Mission Peak Village reveals design

Downtown Event Center

September 17, 3:30 p.m. PDT

Mission Peak Village has submitted design plans to the City of Fremont for review. The group has an urban site in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they are looking to build 32 condos in a walkable area, with easy access to shops, entertainment and nature. Mission Peak Village has an impressive bunch of Members who value community, sustainability and engagement. Their community has members of the American Association of University Women and the League of Women Voters. Not to mention all the Members who volunteered for the Peace Corps!

At Mission Peak Village: Cohousing by Design, the group will reveal their plans at a free public event. Attendees will have the opportunity to see layout designs, renderings and floor plans, while chatting with Members about the path ahead. Attendance is limited, so register ASAP before spots run out!

Reflecting on COHOCON 2022

500 Communities Retreat participants from left to right: Darryl Berlin, Shelly Parks, Danny Milman, Katie McCamant, Charlie Shew, Roger Studley, Amy Ecklund, Lew Bowers, Michelle Pfeifer. 

Before the National Cohousing Conference began, the 500 Communities Affiliates and recent graduates (Amy Ecklund, Charlie Shew and Michelle Pfeifer) joined Katie and I for a little retreat at Village Cohousing Community. The group's strength lies in their variety; graduates include contractors, civil engineers, project managers, developers and a salesperson. Truthfully, I don't quite understand everyone's job, but I can appreciate them.

We heard a lot from the developers and architects of the cohousing world at the Conference, but not so much from salespeople and marketers. 500 Communities Affiliate Shelly Parks and our client, CoHousing Houston's burning soul Lynn Morstead, were the only people speaking about marketing and sales throughout the Conference. As a marketer, I found this a little disheartening! So much of getting a group off the ground involves building membership. There's nothing to design without the people to fund the workshops and planning approvals. 

Burning souls at different stages of community creation hosted a panel I particularly enjoyed. The panel included 500 Communities Affiliate and PDX Commons resident Lew Bowers, Anne Geraghty with Washington Commons and Alicia DeLashmutt with Cathedral Park Cohousing. PDX Commons moved in 2019, Washington Commons just started construction and Cathedral Park plans to break ground next year. They all offered wonderful insight into their experiences as burning souls, but I particularly appreciated Lew's advice regarding professional help throughout the development process.

"Expertise is essential, credibility is priceless!" said Lew.

If you won't take it from us, take it from Lew — as a PDX Commons founder, he hired CoHousing Solutions as the project's first consultant, before they even had land. Waiting to hire consultants for a multi-million dollar project can cause some very expensive mistakes. It's important to have an experienced professional team with some credibility, or it will be very challenging to attract buyers, investors or developers.

On a lighter note, I met a woman named Batya during a break from Katie's intensive, who stopped me in the bathroom to tell me how much she enjoys these newsletters. I found her small gesture of kindness really touching; it reassured me that people actually read this thing! Thank you, Batya.

-Erin Harris, Marketing & Outreach

Transforming Cities podcast with Chris Arnold, ft. Katie McCamant 

Katie's interview with Chris Arnold is perfect for anyone who enjoys context. He starts by asking Katie about her childhood, before diving into the beginning of her career. She was an architect at first, but quickly realized there was need for other cohousing professionals, specifically cohousing developers. Of course, she acts as a development consultant these days. Katie spends a lot of time explaining that cohousing is for affecting change within the middle class, which uses the most of nature's resources.

Funny enough, Chris was wise enough to notice we have a marketing and education issue around cohousing. It was fun to listen to their conversation about how to spread awareness. There's a huge need for cohousing professionals; we can't build more communities without help. If you're interested in listening to the full podcast, it's available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

3 bed/3 bath in Wild Sage Cohousing

There is a cohousing unit available for sale in Boulder, CO at Wild Sage Cohousing. It's an eco-built townhouse with open floor plan full kitchen, dining and living room with oak floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, family-room/office, laundry with a washer & dryer, detached 1 car garage, patio and garden. All appliances and roof-mounted evaporative cooler included. Common House amenities include a gourmet kitchen, library, kids play room, sand box, TV room, exercise room, hot tub, 2 guest rooms, well-equipped workshop, mailboxes and more.

This quiet and cozy townhome is the perfect haven in North Boulder's vibrant cohousing community. Shops, restaurants, the North Boulder library, parks and trails, the NoBo art district and bus routes are within easy stroll. For more info call Judy Coffey at RE/MAX 303-709-8393.

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. The next cycle will begin in 2024!