You’ve read about cohousing on this blog (click on the tag on the right and you’ll see all the cohousing posts). It’s long been an interest of mine. I’ll be starting a new blog/website on this topic and further posts will be there, but I also want to share it with this broader community. Read the vision – and if you are interested in more information and will want to be on that blog and/or Facebook page, indicate that in the comments.
Cohousing Vision
Introduction:
Hi. I’m Diane Scholten. For many years my friend Sue McGill and I have talked about living more intentionally with others. We first investigated “Intentional Communities” – think of hippie communes grown up – a community with a shared vision, often incorporating work with living (“The Farm” in Tennessee, Findhorn in Scotland).
Then we heard about “Cohousing”. Born in Denmark, introduced to the US within the last twenty or so years, cohousing seemed a better fit. Think of ‘an enlightened neighborhood’. The Cohousing Organization defines cohousing as: “Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods. Cohousing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The physical design encourages both social contact and individual space. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground and a common house.” (http://www.cohousing.org/what_is_cohousing).
Sue, our dear friend Bill, and I are planning to live in cohousing as we sail into our wise elder years. We are now ready to move forward and find others interested in joining us. While we are moving into elder years, we very much envision a multi-generational community.
Initial Ideas:
WHO:
- People who want to live with more meaning, intention.
- People who care about sustainability and the Earth.
- People who value connection with others (while also valuing their need for independence).
- People who value nature.
- People who value pets.
- People who value children, adults and elders.
- People who are active and involved.
- People who believe in shared decision-making and shared responsibility.
- People who want to help create community.
- People who like to have FUN!
WHAT:
We are envisioning creating a cohousing community with 12-30 small or mid-sized houses and a large ‘common house.’ A primary appeal of cohousing is that each household – be it an individual, a couple or a family – can have a smaller space with the common house providing shared space. For instance – the common house would have a large kitchen for opt-in community meals (the community would decide if these would be weekly, nightly, etc.) The common house could have 2 guest bedrooms – alleviating the need for each household to have space to accommodate guests. As part of our exploration, those who help create the community will flesh out a vision for the common house and we will post some initial discussion starting ideas soon.
Houses will be arranged to encourage interaction with community members while also maintaining privacy. We envision a mix of small houses, small houses that could be expanded and mid-sized houses for families.
Open space, gardening areas, play areas for children and pets are all important attributes.
WHERE:
While we have been considering Madison, Wisconsin (Diane’s first choice) and Asheville, NC (Sue’s first choice) we are currently focusing on somewhere around Woodstock, Illinois. However, this is open to discussion.
WHEN:
As soon as we have enough people to move forward with planning. We are envisioning spending a year planning/designing and then building. We’d like to begin the planning process this summer.
WHY:
Here are some of the reasons why WE are interested in cohousing. We’d love to hear YOUR whys!
- Living more lightly on the earth. Design with sustainability in mind – build ‘green’
- Sharing resources: Why have 10 Vitamixes when you can have 1?
- Community! Sharing LIFE, not just stuff
- Inter-generational. We hope to have younger friends, kids as well as we elders – we all have so much to give one another and so much to learn from one another
HOW:
- Form a core group of people who are definitely interested
- Ready to do this within two or so years
- Have financial resources to move forward (see How Much)
- Willing and able to do the ‘roll up your shirt sleeves’ planning work
- Read, take seminars, perhaps engage a cohousing consultant early on
- Decide on a locale
- Talk to an architect (Diane has already reached out preliminarily to Design Coalition in Madison, WI who have experience in creating cohousing)
- Create a budget
- Create a timeline
- Find land
- …. The Initial committee will flesh out a detailed work program
HOW MUCH?
We don’t know yet (obviously) but we are hoping to create a community with various price options. Bear in mind that in community you are paying for your own house, but also the common house, shared land, etc.
Cohousing can have a wide range of prices. I am hoping that we can create a community with options – from $175K – $300K. But this is very much up in the air.
And while I’m initially envisioning a community of small houses, perhaps we’ll have mixed housing – some small houses, some mid-sized houses and a block of condo/townhouses.
One thing we’ll want to know from prospective cohousing neighbors is what YOUR housing budget allows.
What’s Next?
- Learn about cohousing
- Check out www.cohousing.org
- You might take a look at two places we like a lot:
- Maybe read some books. Here are two that Diane just ordered (and I already have some):
- Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities
- Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to build Ecovillages and Intentional Communities
- Let us know if you are interested
- We will be creating a survey asking about timeframes, $ amounts, locale, attributes you seek, skills you have, etc. – start thinking about these things
We’re excited about this new venture – and we hope you’ll consider joining us!
This makes me happy. What a great way for our ‘elder’ friends to age gracefully in a supportive community. Can’t wait to hear how this evolves.
Not just for elders – not at all! Come on and join us, Teri!
Wow! Prices in your area are high! My 3 story 5 bedroom house with 2 and 1/2 baths is only worth about $165,000. And it’s a really nice house on a one way street with almost no traffic. But your plan is a great idea for those that can afford it!!!
Michele – thanks for bringing that up. I’m making up prices! We don’t know yet. But ya, Chicago IS more expensive than Albany. My 3 BR, 2 BA, 1400 sf house shows on Zillow as worth $290K.
And by the way, comments encouraged – not only for those who want to join per se, but who have ideas, thoughts, well, comments!
I love the idea Diane. I have written two post recently that I used in my talk on Local Economies. First the work of Dr. Eric Klinenberg in his book Heatwave about the Chicago incident in the 90s and then about the greater interactions of farmers’ markets. Both create better health. By the way, this topic is how I first found your blog and how our friendship formed!
[…] I noted in my last post on cohousing, my small group is considering starting a cohousing community in northern Illinois (for the record, […]
Hi Diane- My wife and I are from Chicago and have been watching the co-housing project in Stillwater, Oklahoma in it’s first year in existence – my mother bought a place and we accompanied her through the whole process. We are really attracted to the concept and have really enjoyed our time at Oak Creek in Stillwater. I was just fishing around on the internet to see if there is any talk of a community in the greater Chicago area and came across your blog. I’d be interested to see where your group is in the process and maybe chatting. Feel free to e-mail me with any additional info that you have – if you are at the stage of having regular meetings, I’d also be interested in attending. I love that you are thinking of Illinois for this – I find it surprising that there still isn’t a community here!
Michael! You are the kick in the pants I’ve needed! There had been a cohousing community forming in Chicago itself for many years – Prarie Onion – but I see on http://www.cohousing.org that they recently disbanded.
So far our group is my two closest friends and I – but yes, I would absolutely LOVE to keep a dialogue going here, in email and ultimately in person. Our current thinking is somwhere around Woodstock, IL. I love Evanston and Oak Park but land is not plentiful, taxes are high and it’s expensive. So my current thought is focusing north. Tell us more about what you like about where your mom lives and what made YOU consider cohousing. And welcome, welcome, welcome!
Thanks for the welcoming note, Diane. I’ve been reading and researching co-housing for the last year as my mother considered moving (and then moved) into a new ‘senior’ co-housing project in Stillwater, Oklahoma (it’s actually a mix of ages, but it’s weighted towards >55). I think Woodstock is a great choice and Julie’s ideas are great, too. It’s funny – in my mind I was thinking of exactly the areas mentioned: Dekalb or Lake/McHenry Counties. All of those would be really nice. I like the proximity to Chicago, yet far enough out of the city. To answer your question about what attracts us to co-housing, I think it is the ethos and healthy lifestyle (physical, mental, spiritual) that is facilitated by the build environment and community structure. The simpler answer is that I like digging in the dirt, dinner with friends, healthy living and interesting, compassionate people. I know some really wonderful folks in Stillwater who would probably be willing to give some coaching and advice – I’m sure you all have contacts as well. We would be open to getting coffee or a beer some time if anyone on this thread would like to just have an initial conversation, although I have to say that then next 2-3 weeks are really full with out-of-town visitors, summer travel plans, etc… A weekend in early-mid August would work well for us.
Hi, Diane, You and I are on the same wavelength. Since April 2013, I’ve been doing research on cohousing throughout the U.S. But I have been especially interested in the possibility of forming a community in Northern Illinois. I would like to stay in the Chicago area, if possible, since I have ties with friends and family here. Woodstock seems like a good possibility for a location; I also have noted the possibility of land in South Barrington (a bit closer to the city of Schaumburg) and DeKalb (near Northern Illinois University). As a former condominium Board president (5 years-my building; 3 years-HOA), I have a good sense of how communities can work together and would like to be on the ground floor of a local development if possible. I have lots of ideas and would like to communicate with you via email, if possible. –Julie
Julie – this is great! I actually live in Barrington (you mentioned South Barrington). I was focusing on Woodstock as I was looking for a more progressive community and also lower priced land. But all of this is the type of thing that a cohousing group, serious on creating cohousing in Northern Illinois, would decide together.
I think what may be next is to:
a) create a FaceBook page to broaden the conversation
b) make more updates to the blog/Facebook
c) set up a time to meet you and Mike (previous commenter) and anyone else who is interested between now and whenever that meeting is. Mike mentioned that August is better for him than July – perhaps later in August might be the thing.
And while I am most assuredly open to communicating with both you and Mike via email (he mentioned the same thing) – I think a public dialogue is helpful to bring in other interested parties. That said, I also see value in getting to know one another vis-a-vis this topic on email.
Thanks so mcuh for jumping in! And now I’d like to hear from you, Julie, on what draws YOU to cohousing?
Hi, Diane,
Yes, I would very much like to participate in a public dialogue with you and Mike and other interested parties regarding setting up a cohousing community in Northern Illinois. Right now, it all depends on the specific date that is chosen and where we would all want to meet. (I live in Skokie.)
Some weekend day in August is fine; I think what is best is sometime before the semester starts, in case there are people with children who want to attend. In fact, I might bring a friend or two in tow with me (although this is not certain). Let me know what date(s) you are considering. I don’t expect to be available on August 10th, since that’s my birthday! But right now, I should be able to work around any other date, even the 11th.
You asked what draws me to cohousing. I guess I got inspired and started writing a manifesto on the topic! So here goes:
“Let’s imagine a community of neighbors in a natural setting. This is what cohousing means to me. I would like to get to know my neighbors and have them want to know me too. I don’t expect a utopia, but I am looking for a communal situation where the decision-making is based on consensus and where the principle of democracy and the rights of the minority are respected. I am searching for a multi-unit dwelling place with a comprehensive group-focused approach—as opposed to a residence where people hide in their apartments and the principal philosophy is: ‘What’s in it for me?’
“The idea of a shared common house and eating community meals is not only a way of acquainting people with each other but can also be an economical way to eat more nutritiously. On a personal note, I have a lot of food allergies, so I have been searching through the internet to find a situation where I can eat healthfully as possible. That doesn’t necessarily mean eating all organic food, but I am very allergic to many preservatives and additives in foods today. And I get tired reading every single label all the time (or asking about all the ingredients in restaurant menus), so it would be a joy to have some other people (doing the cooking on a given night) to do this work for a change!
“Like others who have chosen cohousing, I like the idea of the consolidation of homes in a relatively small amount of space and allowing for as much of a natural environment as possible on the acreage, so that there is some respite from “modern living.” I enjoy being in nature and would enjoy strolls around the property, especially if it is in or near a nature preserve.
“Cohousing is associated with the idea of living more lightly on the planet. I like the idea of solar panels and making sure that housing is made with green materials. There are so many toxins in the chemicals that we use today that it is important to cut these out whenever possible. Having egg-laying chickens and a fruit orchard (e.g., apples, raspberries, peaches, etc.) would be wonderful, although as a “city girl”, I know very little, if anything, about farming. I also think that communal gardens are a fantastic way to grow organic produce (although, except for growing a few flowers on my balcony), I’m not much of a gardener. But I would be grateful to help out with some time and effort if I could get an organic tomato or two for my salad.
“I have always had issues with the increased use of fossil fuels in our culture, and that’s why locating a complex relatively close to decent public transportation is important. But I am also a realist. Until public transportation is what it should be and each train station has access to electrically-powered vehicles for short rides, I know that I will still need to drive my car in order to visit with my friends and family.
“The key to living decently in a community is in part having a deep respect for the privacy of our neighbors. Community life ends at the threshold of our own unit. But with good planning and administration, we can do our best to create the physical surroundings and modest social life to facilitate interaction and help people live civilly and kindly in a natural environment—where neighbors can become friends.”
I hope this answers your question! 🙂
–Julie
Julie – great! Thanks for chiming in! I think the more we can discuss what it is we are looking for, the easier it will be to see if we are all on the same wavelength. Gosh, that’s sort of stating the obvious. And open dialogue also shows our commitment to consensus and group decision making. Thanks!
I’m looking forward to meeting you and everyone else with an interest in this project. Please keep us apprised regarding a possible date and time to get together.
Perhaps some weekend afternoon, during or after lunchtime, might work for everyone? In my view, we should choose a relatively quiet restaurant. A Starbucks may be too active of a location, and a bar can often be noisy on the weekends. And we may need a decent size table if we want to deal with handouts, lists, or drawings, etc.
I’m sure you’ll think of a great location that suits our needs. Thank you for organizing this!
I have just recently begun looking into cohousing and stumbled across your blog. I grew up in the uk and have lived in northern Illinois for the past 10years and I miss the closeness of a real community, I miss being able to walk to friends homes or to a park, and I find the winters can be incredibly isolating. Please let me know when you have a Facebook group up and running.
Will do. This has been a personally very challenging year so this got put to a back burner for a bit. My best friend will be up from Florida for 3 weeks in December and I’ll resume discussions with her and then we can provide an update here. Thanks so very much for your interest!
My husband and I are actively researching cohousing communities, and would definitely love to be included in this discussion. We expect to be ready to make a move in the 2016-17 time frame. Is there an email address where we could contact you for further discussion?
Ellen – sure, my email is dmsstargirl@gmail.com – but I hope to be back posting here shortly. I’ve had a most tumultuous year personally and that’s kept me from updating my blog, moving forward on cohousing et al. My best friend will be here shortly and she is the one with whom I’ve collaborated offline on this – hopefully we’ll move the discussion forward again in December. So glad you are interested!
I would like to learn more about your plans. My husband and I are looking for co-housing in the western suburbs of Chicago (near his work). I know that building a community from the ground up can be a lot of work and create a lot of waste – I wonder if there are people out there interested in retro-fitted co-housing on the west side?
Hi there – I promise I will write again this week! Last year was not my favorite – losing my Dad and then my cousin got me strayed from the course – but I will be writing again on this week and reaching out to interested folks so we can get together and get some discussions going!
Hi there – I think as we gather together people interested in cohousing in Northern Illinois that options will become clearer. As for me personally, I was thinking north, not west, but we shall see what develops! Glad you have joined the conversation and I expect much, much more activity this year – hope you’ll be part of it!
[…] I want to do is to get back into my exploration of cohousing in Northern Illinois as mentioned in this post. I’ve been heartened that several of you have responded to my initial posts and have felt […]
[…] mentioned here and here that my friends and I are interested in cohousing in Northern Illinois. My best friend […]
[…] of forming cohousing in Northern Illinois! Want to read more about what we mean? Here’s a post from my blog. Here’s the cohousing.org website. And from that site, here is a definition of cohousing. […]