Cohousing Developers

Katie McCamant was a featured speaker at the Dwell on Design Conference this fall in San Francisco. She has been recognized as one of Dwell’s National Design Leaders. Watch this interesting and informative video of Katie discussing cohousing in the US.

Live events, such as the upcoming Cohousing Conference are an excellent way for cohousing groups to gain valuable information and insights for creating healthy communities. However, for those who can’t wait – or simply can’t afford the trip – the Cohousing Association is pleased to offer another educational opportunity: online “webinars.”

Kathryn McCamant & Charles Durrett of CoHousing Partners and McCamant & Durrett Architects, received several honors.

The Sierra Business Council honored them October 19, 2007, as part of its the Vision 2020 Award, for their commitment to promoting a unique solution to one of the most vexing problems in the Sierra Nevada - the growing need for affordable, high quality housing. That same day, Katie McCamant was interviewed by Green Living Ideas. The podcast is available here. The firm is also among the finalists competing for the "2008 EnergyValue Housing Award," awarded by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). That competition is for their work on Nevada City Cohousing.

In the great and historic town of San Juan Bautista, CA (pop. 1500), any new building project of more than three houses has to win a simple majority vote by the general population in a special election before it can proceed. That is, the applicant has to spend $50,000 and about six months of work just to get an election date, a ballot printed and all of the rest.

Colorado's newest cohousing site will feature 35 "green-built" and sustainably designed homes with a 6,000 sq. ft. common house and views of the Continental Divide and elk-filled meadows. Developer Jim Tawney, a long-time Estes Park resident and founding member of Mary's Meadow Cohousing, has purchased and secured all approvals on a 5-acre parcel that lies just two miles from the Estes Park town center and a mile from the south entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The 1 - 4 bedroom homes include free-standing, duplex and quadraplex units with costs ranging from market rate to the more affordable. This will be a multigenerational community with families, singles and those aged 55-plus. Interest in the neighborhood is high, with a 2008 projected move-in. The mountain town of Estes Park (pop. 10,000) is easily accessible from all Colorado Front Range cities and is about 1 to 1-1/2 hours drive from Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Greeley. Visit the website for more information or call 303-413-8066.

Nationally acclaimed architect and author Charles Durrett introduced “cohousing” to the Senior Citizens of Kodiak, AK, group in October at their fourth annual Aging Connection Conference, a Senior Housing Community Forum, where many of Kodiak’s caregivers, state housing representatives and nationally recognized innovators are searching for ways to help baby boomers as the nation’s largest generational population begins to cope with what is often called the “golden years.”

Like a flame draws a moth, cohousing attracts a certain type of house builder. Somewhere in the back of our minds we think we can save the world, our country or at least our hometown from environmental and social degradation through the quality of the housing - and communities - we create. This challenge keeps many of us going in an industry full of political adversity and economic risk.