We welcome 2021 like a breath of fresh air. We are optimistic for bright days on the horizon, and have set our sights on the future. If we took away anything from 2020 it was that authentic, sustainable community is more important than ever before.
We promise to continue striving for a future where cohousing and other sustainable community models are not considered "radical ideas," but standard alternatives to single-family housing. To make this future a reality we are working every day to bring our client communities to new milestones, and educating the next wave of cohousing professionals through our 500 Communities Program.
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"I consider Village Hearth to be a shining star in my development career. I thank you for putting the trust in me to lead the development, and I am so proud to have been a part of it."
-Lou Goetz, Development Partner with Village Hearth Cohousing
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We were so sorry to hear of Lou Goetz’s recent passing from melanoma. I Katie first contacted Lou looking for a developer to partner with the Village Hearth group. He took a look at the project that had already been designed, and signed up, securing financing and managing construction. Village Hearth residents moved in over the Covid summer, and are now enjoying the fruits of their and Lou’s efforts, living in community. Lou had an interesting background, as developers often do, having coached the Duke University and several other basketball team for years, moving to real estate development when he wanted to be home more often when his children were young. We remember vividly when a local bank who seemed enthusiastic about financing the project suddenly went cold . . . we expect because of the community’s mission to serve LBGT seniors. We understand better than anyone that creating authentic communities is hard work, even just the raw real estate development side, let alone dealing with the people side. Professionals like Lou can make a big difference by bringing their years of expertise and relationships to help communities like Village Hearth become realities.
Thank you, Lou, for having faith in Village Hearth and the power of community. Our hearts go out to your family for their loss.
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Launching the 2021
500 Communities Program
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Might you be one of the professionals that helps build the next 500 communities?
If we are going to build more cohousing neighborhoods and other collaborative communities, we need more professionals who know how to work collaboratively with resident groups. That is what inspired Katie McCamant to found the 500 Communities Program, a year-long course sharing the best practices learned from 35 years of building these communities. We encourage participants with a broad range of backgrounds, from conventional real estate development to marketing, sales and community process.
The 2021 500 Communities Course starts in September 2021, with applications accepted beginning March 1st.
During this webinar Katie McCamant will be discussing the program in detail, and answering prospective applicant questions. We hope you will join us!
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500 Communities Introduction Webinar
January 27th, 2021 - 4:00 PM (PST)
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500 Communities Participants gathering at the cohousing conference in Portland. Several said this was the best part of the conference, and it was a good conference! |
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"The 500 Communities Program gave me a much more in-depth perspective of the cohousing development process, and a contact book of other professionals in the field. Cohousing development is always a long process, so having supportive relationships with others in the industry is invaluable. If you are serious about pursuing a career in cohousing, then this program is time very well spent."
-David Kelley, 500 Communities Graduate & CoHousing Solutions Affiliate
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Middlesex Senior Cohousing
Wins Planning Approval
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Our client community, Middesex Senior Cohousing, has won approval from the Town of Littleton’s planning board to construct a cohousing community for 55+ adults. This will be the first cohousing community for seniors in New England.
The group of active, independent adults from the Boston suburbs are motivated to take control of their futures and to create a community of mutual support with the goal to age in place.
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The 24 energy-efficient, private homes will be located near the center of Littleton. The new neighborhood will include a Common House, currently the historic Federal house on the site, which will include amenities such as a fitness center and space for activities such as yoga, crafts, and woodworking. The group will share meals and gather there to enjoy each other’s company.
The development includes about 12 acres of grounds which will provide opportunities for walking trails, and gardening. The site is located right next to the town’s new library, now under construction, and within walking distance of local stores as well as nature trails.
The site has a large wetland area that the community will enhance with native plants to encourage wildlife. The small private homes are being designed for the needs of older adults, with ample light, and easy access, where residents can age in place.
“We’re thrilled to announce that in December we got permits to build our community in Littleton, Mass. -- the first senior cohousing community in New England! After five years of hard work—by our founders, our members, and our fabulous professional team—we’re hoping to break ground later this year. Katie has been indispensable in our success. Once we started working with her, our project really took off. She has kept us on track, brainstormed solutions, anticipated our next steps, and boosted our confidence. She has such deep experience in developing cohousing, and we’ve so benefited from that. Creating this kind of community isn’t simple, and a pandemic added some more challenges…and yet, here we are!!”
-Victoria Thatcher, Founding Member
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New to Cohousing?
Take advantage of the Cohousing Association’s virtual conferences to learn more
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We know that cohousing is still unexplored territory for most people, and learning about it for the first time can be a bit confusing. We are so grateful for the Cohousing Association of the US, who is working every day to bring communities together and make cohousing resources more readily available. The association is kicking off 2021 with a "What is Cohousing" webinar. During the webinar they will discuss what cohousing is, why we love it, and how it works. If you still have questions about what cohousing actually looks like, we highly encourage you to attend. |
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Stay tuned for more information about the Association's February webinar, Stepping Into Cohousing, where Katie McCamant will be speaking.
Katie will be covering topics like "Do We Need a Developer? Choosing Your Development Strategy", where she will discuss the different development scenarios communities use to get the projects built.
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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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CoHousing Solutions
(530) 478-1970
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