Welcome!
What if your neighborhood was designed to bring people together?
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We are forming an affordable cohousing community in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco) of Washington State.
We invite you to join us in the process of designing and building the type of community you have been looking for.
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What is cohousing? In short, a cohousing community is the ideal neighborhood. Cohousing provides the privacy we are accustomed to with the community we seek.
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Cohousing communities are legally condominium communities, but there are several big differences.
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Relationships are paramount in cohousing communities. Your neighbors become your good friends. Members dine together typically once per week, and take turns preparing community meals. Business meetings are held typically once each month. Big decisions are made by consensus, which takes more time but are much more satisfying than decisions by majority. People work together to solve problems and maintain the property and buildings. Members invest a lot of time in the community, and are rewarded with great friendships, a strong sense of community, and strong support in times of trouble.
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There is more community property in cohousing. In particular, there is always a common house with a dining hall and kitchen. Many common houses also have a children’s playroom, laundry facilities, a library, and a guest bedroom. There is also typically a tool shed filled with community tools. Some cohousing communities also have pools, and most have a community garden.
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Parking is always on the edge of the property, so that homes are accessed only by walkways. Wagons or carts are used to haul goods from cars to homes. Homes are clustered together to facilitate interactions. Each personal unit has a small private outside area, and there is a much larger common yard that might include a playground and garden.
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Cohousing communities are designed by the members of the community according to their values. They work with professionals to manifest that that design in the development of their community.
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There are now about 160 cohousing communities in the U. S. We are forming one in the Tri-Cities.
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More information about cohousing is available at http://www.cohousing.org. There is also an excellent book, Creating Cohousing, by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett, and a recent article in the New York Times. See also this PBS video about cohousing.
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Contact us if you are interested so we can add you to a mailing list. We are meeting every month or so and would welcome your participation. Follow the blog on the News tab for meeting announcements and other developments.
Vision
Sierra Foothills Cohousing Community
