Cohousing catching on

By MARILYN BOWDEN
Bankrate.com

Believing that no barriers are needed between good neighbors, in 1986, a pair of homeowners on N Street in Davis, Calif., tore down the fence separating their tract homes to create a common backyard.

Within two years, the shared yard encompassed four properties and Kevin Wolf and his neighbors "were doing potlucks together."

Although Wolf, a spokesman for N Street Cohousing Community, and his neighbors didn't realize it at the time, their shared-property approach has deep roots.

According to cohousing expert Arthur Okner, who maintains the Cohousing Answer Man Web site, N Street's shared backyards are a modern version of the small-town model preferred by early European settlers. Boston Commons, the large public park in the heart of New England's largest city, is a relic of the days when early residents built their homes around a common grazing ground. Pioneers settling the American West relied on this approach for survival.

N Street residents also saw themselves in the book "Cohousing," by Kathyrn McCamant and Charles Durrett, a look at the practice in Denmark. Published in 1988, it is generally recognized as the impetus for the U.S. cohousing movement, says John Parsons, a principal of the Cohousing Association of the United States.

Parsons lists six defining characteristics of a cohousing community:

• Future residents plan and help design the physical layout of the community.

• The guiding principle of that site design is to create a strong sense of community.

• Residences, which are privately owned, are amply supplemented by common facilities, such as dining areas, play areas, laundry rooms, gyms and libraries that encourage interaction among residents.

• The community is jointly managed by residents, who develop community policies and also carry out maintenance chores.

• Decisions are reached by consensus, with no hierarchy in place.

• There is no shared community economy, and residents are typically not paid for community maintenance work.

"When we read the book, we recognized ourselves in it," Wolf says. "We learned a great deal about what worked in Europe that we could emulate."

There are now about 100 cohousing communities in the United States, Parsons says, each with its own character. Perhaps another 100 are in different stages of preparation.

Parsons and his family recently moved into Bartimaeus Cohousing Community in Bremerton, Wash., a 25-unit community consisting of one single-family home and four condominium buildings on seven acres.

Although the group used a Realtor to assist with the land purchase, he says, Bartimaeus was self-developed.

Bartimaeus homeowners purchase units outright. Association dues are $135 to $231 a month. Common amenities include gardens, playing fields, a play area, walking trails, a workshop and a 2,600-square-foot Common House. Rentals are available.

The shift from talking about building your own utopia to actually doing it is monumental. Most groups need professional help. Cohousing Resources has helped more than 35 communities with financing and development.

"The financing is no different than for any real estate development," says Kelly Scotthanson, co-author with her husband Chris of "The Cohousing Handbook: Building A Place For Community." "Once you have 20 percent in and spent, there's no problem getting the other 80 percent financed. There are also some architects and development managers who understand the concept and will work with the group."

While many cohousing communities were purpose-built, Parsons says the difficulty and expense of finding suitable land will probably lead to more creative retrofitted options, already common in urban areas.

Street is among the most successful examples. It's now grown to 19 houses, says Wolf, 12 on N Street and seven on the next street. In the open space in the middle are gardens, a play area, a hot tub and sauna, even a chicken coop.

"We have a distributed model, rather than the centralized model in which the Common House is the community center," he says. "The laundry is in one place, the compost heap in another. It's designed to encourage spontaneous interaction."

In Baltimore, Wolf says, a recently passed ordinance gives block residents the option to gate and green their alleyways if they choose. It is being used by cohousing advocates to spread retrofitted communities.

Retrofitting, says Wolf, removes the "huge financial burden and risk of development. When you tear your fences down and start sharing tools and lawn mowers, you save a lot of money and life is a lot richer."

Cost savings, Okner says, is an advantage in all cohousing communities.

"Because we do some of our own work and are self-managed," he says, "we have much lower homeowner association fees. And since sustainability is a goal, the homes are built to be energy-efficient. We compost; we recycle."

Related links:

Street Cohousing Community: http://www.nstreetcohousing.org/

Cohousing Association of the United States: http://www.cohousing.org/

Bartimaeus Cohousing Community: http://www.bartcommunity.org/

Cohousing Resources: http://www.cohousingresources.com/