Yulupa Cohousing

Description:

All ages share our urban cohousing community in Santa Rosa, California. The 29 individually owned condominiums and townhomes surround a courtyard and range from studios to four bedrooms. Our shared spaces include the Common House (with kitchen, multi-purpose room, library, kid’s playroom and laundry room), workshop, guest and exercise room, outdoor playground, vegetable gardens and lush sustainable landscaping.

Our Vision:
Our community’s spirit grows out of a profound respect for the natural world and our human connection to it and to each other. This is evident upon entering our cohousing community. Ours is a way of living that fulfills mind, body, and spirit for each member– adults and children. Enrichment manifests in community social activities, shared meals, encouragement of creative expression, and the sense of nurturance and safety that we create. We mutually help one another to overcome social isolation and reach towards our highest aspirations. We seek to provide mutual support, inspiration, warmth, and openness to each member in a way that nourishes many generations.

Yulupa Cohousing features:
Innovative & sustainable architecture and landscaping
The unique architecture is bold, fun and colorful. Most home entrances face a large courtyard to encourage connections with neighbors and to provide a play area for children. Solar panels generate electricity for our Common House, guest and exercise rooms, workshop, laundry room and outdoor lighting.

Units feature:
• Full kitchens
• 1-2 bathrooms
• Washer-dryer hook-ups in many units and shared laundry facilities in the Common House
• High-ceilinged, spacious rooms, with windows and skylights for beautiful ambient light
• Radiant floor heating; concrete floors downstairs for energy efficient cooling
• Patios, balconies or small backyards

Activities:
• Community meals where cooks and clean up folks join together in our well-equipped kitchen. Some of our best-shared meals are potlucks, BBQ’s and pizza night. Breakfast is a great kick off to workdays in the garden. Celebrating holidays, birthdays and festivities happens in our lovely dining room.
• Avid organic gardeners and others enjoy working in our seasonal vegetable and fruit garden. Our fruit trees include apples, figs, lemons, pears, persimmons, and plums.
• We have monthly workdays. Together, we take on the maintenance and upkeep of the garden, landscaping, and buildings. We often kick off our workdays with breakfast together.
We also have committees that meet to divide up the work and share responsibilities. Coordinating Council meets to oversee the community and guide the next meeting agenda.
• At our monthly general meetings, we discuss issues, events, budget and hear proposals from committees. Our decisions are made using the CODEM process, allowing everyone to participate and be heard.