Wild Sage Cohousing is thrilled to welcome Coho/US Regional Conference attendees to our community. We’ll be hosting the Board of Directors retreat, holding some of the intensive workshops on Friday, April 20, and giving tours of our community on Sunday, April 22. Here’s a handy guide to let you know what to look for when you come to Wild Sage.

You’ll undoubtedly spend time in our Common House. As with common houses in cohousing communities the world over, the Wild Sage Common House is the heart of our community. You’ll ooh and ahh at the design (we have architect Bryan Bowen, a Wild Sage resident, to thank for that!). But keep an eye out and you’ll find even more to capture your interest, including a hot tub deck, a yoga room, and two guest rooms, where our friends and families stay when they visit. Nearly all Common House spaces – including those oh-so-nifty guest rooms –are available for rent to outside individuals and groups.

Now head out into the Wild Sage community of 34 units – townhouses, condos, and carriage houses. As you walk around our one “square” block that’s just under 1.5 acres, you’ll be struck by the modern architecture.

But you might not realize that what you’re seeing is a mix of market-rate, permanently affordable, and Habitat for Humanity units. That’s because our community is truly mixed-income. Yes, this can be hard when we’re negotiating our annual budget, but we strive to find a way to live together cooperatively and fairly. If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to live together with a mix of incomes, read Ellen Orleans’s blog post, “Money, Homes, and Trust: Economic Diversity Issues at Wild Sage.”

But don’t stop with a tour of Wild Sage. While you’re here, take some time to explore the surrounding blocks – known collectively as the Holiday Neighborhood. Built on 27 acres on the site of a former drive-in movie theater (the Holiday Drive-In, of course!), Holiday is one of the nation’s premier new urbanist neighborhoods.

Formed in 2004, Holiday is a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood – live, work, play! It is eminently walkable – and it’s almost impossible not to run into people you know when you are out walking the dog, strolling to the neighborhood coffee shop, or heading to one of the upscale restaurants for happy hour. Be sure to keep an eye out for the original Holiday Drive-in marquee – just about a half block from Wild Sage. For more on the Holiday neighborhood and Wild Sage’s role in the community, read my blog post “Designing a Great Neighborhood.”

We’re excited to welcome you to Wild Sage and the Holiday Neighborhood! Be sure to register for the Regional Conference here.

Dr. Linda Tate is a member of Wild Sage Cohousing in Boulder, Colorado. She is the owner of Tate Communications, the author of Power in the Blood: A Family Narrative, and the producer of a weekly blog and podcast, StoryWeb: Storytime for Grownups. She is working on a new book, Ferguson Girl: A Story of Family, Place, and Race.