Cohousing is an intentional community of private homes clustered around shared space. Each attached or single-family home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. Shared spaces include a common house with a large kitchen and dining area, playroom, exercise room, and two guest rooms for visitors, open grounds, a patio, and a community garden. Neighbors often have a great culture of mutual aid and share information and resources.
Households have independent incomes and private lives, but neighbors collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces. The legal structure is technically a Condo Association, but we govern ourselves using a democratic, consent-based method called Sociocracy. Community activities feature regularly scheduled shared meals, meetings, and workdays. Neighbors gather for parties, games, movies, or other events. Cohousing makes it easy to organize childcare and mutual aid, elder support, and carpool.
Cohousing communities are physically designed and structured to encourage frequent interactions and the formation of close relationships between members. There are often parking lots for our cars so that there is only foot, bike, or scooter traffic between houses. Neighbors are encouraged to cooperate within the community and to help one another out. We encourage you to click here to learn more about cohousing in general.