Collaborative Living: The Cohousing Option
by Peggy O'Brien

With aging parents becoming unable to care for themselves, many middle-agers (myself included) begin navigating the choppy waters of Medicare, Medicaid, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. In the process we can't help but start to contemplate our own "golden years." Many of us soon realize that the traditional portrait of healthy independence until the end (complete with services and community) is attainable only with careful planning.

Several friends (and parents of friends) have recently purchased long-term health care insurance policies to ensure that they have the resources to cover expenses in the event they're incapacitated in the future. I saw a couple of tables that calculate coverage and it became clear that unless I suddenly become a double digit millionaire, I will not have enough to pay for long term medical costs, no matter how diligently I invest and save.

Add to these realities some other concerns I share with friends about dwindling natural resources, the scarcity of locally produced food and industry, and living many miles from a town with needed services, and the idea of creating a multigenerational community that would allow for my "aging in place" has never sounded so good. About a year ago, there was an article in the New York Times about a group of seniors who banded together to build a living cooperative in Davis, California. They were friends/colleagues who wanted to join forces and face growing old together. They pooled their resources, built townhouses and even built a unit for a live-in nurse.

The article stimulated conversation with many friends who were interested in the subject. A couple of fireside brainstorming dinners jumpstarted a core group of about ten of us who decided to look further into the concept of sharing resources, nurturing community and creating a comfortable future with non-blood family. After some discussion about what our collective ideals are (eco-friendly, sustainability, buying local food and supporting the local economy, multigenerational, living in community while maintaining individual homes, pooling resources, sharing stuff), we found that this concept falls under what is called "cohousing."

According to the Cohousing Association of the United States, cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods. 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 common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground and a common house.

According to The Cohousing Handbook by Chris & Kelly Scotthanson, cohousing began in the 1960s in Denmark with a group of families who wanted better childcare and a way to share evening meal preparation. Since then, hundreds of communities have been established all over the world. Groups vary in size, location, type of ownership, design and priorities but share some of the same characteristics, which the Handbook defines as:

• "Participatory process: Future residents participate in the planning and design of their community.

• "Intentional neighborhood design: The physical design encourages a strong sense of community. With central pedestrian walkways or village greens, cars are relegated to the edges.

• "Private homes and common facilities: All residents own their own homes, including kitchens and there are common facilities that are shared by the group.

• "Resident management: Residents manage their own community, making decisions about common concerns at regular meetings.

• "Nonhierarchical structure and decision making: Decisions are made together, as a community, often using decision-making models such as consensus."

Soon after our group began meeting, we realized that there are so many things to consider that we will need to pace ourselves for the road ahead. No doubt this is why most of the literature on the subject suggests that if you're interested in cohousing first find out if there's a co-housing group already in existence that meets your ideals. With that idea in mind — as well as a desire to avoid having to reinvent the wheel by beginning from scratch — our group has visited two local and two more distant communities. Locally we went to Cantine's Island in Saugerties and Common Fire in Tivoli. Looking farther afield, we traveled to Cobb Hill Cohousing in Hartland, Vermont, and The Eco Village in Ithaca, in the Finger Lakes.

So far, our group has decided to persist in trying to create our own community, even though we are still smaller than the suggested optimum 12-to-36 unit minimum that's most economical to build. We also have yet come to a consensus about where we want to establish our new community: some of us want to live in a small city, or close to a university, or very rurally, or possibly on a more or less rural parcel owned by a member, which might be able to be developed. One member is a real estate broker, who's keeping her ears and eyes open for possibilities. We've formed a subcommittee to check out possible locations as they come up.

The following bullets come directly from The Cohousing Handbook I mentioned already. The commentary represents some of what our group has learned in the months since we started researching the cohousing concept. Since two members of our group are former members of a cohousing development in Rosendale, they were also able to give us firsthand knowledge of the details that go into each of these essential elements of creating a structure from the ground up.

Deciding on a Group. This is one of the earliest decisions to make. But remember that the group can change throughout the development process some get burned out, decide that cohousing isn't for them, that this particular group isn't for them, or -whatever.

Deciding on Corporate Structure. The choice of entity takes a lot of thought: does the group's mission allow for non-profit status? Will be an S-corporation, a C-corporation, a limited liability company or partnership? Will it use condominium or cooperative housing laws? Another major thing is how the group will survive the first generation of members (i.e., will units or shares be able to be sold without restrictions? What about heirs to a deceased member's unit/shares?)

Decision Making. Most cohousing groups use the "consensus" model, which means unanimous consent for every decision. The Guide To Formal Consensus by C.T. Lawrence Butler says: "Cooperation is more than 'live and let live.' It is making an effort to understand another's point of view. It is suspending disbelief, even if only -temporarily, so you can see the gem of truth in ideas other than your own. It is a process of creativity, synthesis, and open-mindedness which leads to trust-building, better communication and understanding, and ultimately, a stronger, healthier, more successful group." Some groups use a majority/supermajority process depending on type of vote being taken, while others use "sociocracy," which holds that within a group that shares a common aim every single person must be included in decisions. In its consent decision-making, a proposal is adopted only when no one has a reasoned and paramount objection to it.

Developing the Idea. Once the idea is formalized — i.e., what the shared vision of the group is — it then becomes necessary to take the next steps toward a more official plan: i.e., finding a location, deciding how the space will be used, selecting an architect.

Buying Land. While prices of land vary widely, depending on size and location, the costs of new construction today are something like $300 per square foot, when as recent as a decade ago it was $150 (the result of the rising cost of fuel and materials). Not every piece of rural property is equally expensive; and the current housing slump may also be affecting the price of land, so piecing together the location and dwellings can be a creative undertaking.

Design/Construction. This is where the individual group incorporates its values into the actual buildings: whether to use sustainable energy systems such as solar, wind, and geothermal; whether to install composting toilets; to have a commonly operated wood-burning furnace to heat all units; to set limits on waste (e.g., no use of propane, oil, electric heat, no individual fireplaces, recycling whatever possible, etc.); deciding what common spaces/appliances are desired (e.g., root cellar, brick oven).

Environment. Other values that go toward the quality of life also need to be determined. We have been discussing whether we would also be considered an "eco-village": one that has a sustainable, non-consuming physical presence, growing as much of our own food as possible, and using power, water and other natural resources in an environmentally respectful way.

Finance and Budget. In addition to the costs of construction, there is the cost of the land and the ongoing budget of the group to consider. If the individuals who comprise the group can finance the entire thing, there's no need to borrow money. But more than likely financing will be necessary. The cost of land, the development costs and related professional fees need to be worked into the per unit price. Each unit, depending on the materials used, will be paid for by the individual owner.

Marketing & Membership. In order to maintain an adequate number of members (due to attrition, as described above), it is likely that the group will need to have an internal process in place to bring in new members in, to maintain the membership records, and to maintain the waiting list.

Scheduling & Planning are needed not only of the building endeavor, but of the ongoing workings of the group.

Construction! If you've ever built anything as seemingly insignificant as a garage (or renovated something as 'simple' as your kitchen), you know firsthand the avalanche of details that await at every turn — and the permits and approvals that precede construction (for land, building, the common house, the number of units allowed).

Moving In. When this day finally arrives, members (as individuals, and as a community) will be crossing the threshold into what they have created and will continue to plan for the future.

Our cohousing group, after taking a huge bite last winter and spring, have just reconvened after a summer off. So continues the process of re-establishing our core beliefs, purpose and vision, determining the best-suited decision making process and setting our sights on sites to make the idea a reality. Whatever living situation we come up with probably won't completely eliminate the need for elder care, but perhaps by the time we all need it, systems will have changed enough for us to get what we need in a safe and supportive environment. For now, our vision is to bring together mutually caring members, individuals, and families of different sizes and ages, to build an aesthetic and site-appropriate ecovillage community committed to creating and sharing environmental, social, and economic models of sustainability steeped in creative, ecological, and healthful values. If you are interested in learning more, joining us, or know of a perfect (and affordable) location, please send an e-mail to hvecohousing@gmail.com.