The Gardens Cohousing

General Info

Oct 23, 1998

By Elisa Cohen

Cohousing was established in the 1970's in Denmark as a way busy families could share resources and save time. All homes in a cohousing development are completely self sufficent with a kitchen, bathroom and living space for the family. The private homes tend to be designed so that the busy part of the house, the kitchen and dining room, face the pedestrian walkway which typically runs between the homes. In many cohousing developments, the parking for the vehicles is confined to the outer edges of the development creating a safe inner courtyard area for children to play and a quiet place for adults to relax in front of their homes without the fear of being hit by cars. While the parking is non-traditionally placed it does conform to the city regulations about vehicles per unit. The land that would have been a road or an alley in a traditional development can be converted into open space for gardens and for children's play.

Cohousing is not cheap. In Boulder some of the homes were built and sold for over a million dollars. In the old Elitch site, the developer expects the units to sell for $92,000 to over $250,000. While homes in cohousing tend to be smaller, the common house has many facilities for a variety of activities including dining, lounging, sewing, crafts, woodworking, children's playrooms, teen hangout rooms, storage facilities and more. Each common house is planned and built by the individual communities. So each is designed according to the needs of all the members. The land around the homes is also combined for a greater impact. Each home has its own private yard, but most cohousing communities do not have fences thus making the open space much bigger and more accessible to children at play. By agreeing to park away from the homes, the land usually devoted to cars can be used for gardens and walkways.

The shared resources come with shared responsibility. Community members meet regularly to decide on the maintenance and direction of the cohousing development. The development of cohousing itself is a long process of meetings in which design decisions are made in the consensus mode. One cohouser estimates that each member of a cohousing development will put in approximately 200 to 300 hours in planning meetings before moving into the development.

For parties interested in living in a cohousing development in Northwest Denver and who are not afraid of the planning process, contact Wonderland Hill at 303?–443?–7876 ext. 106.
If you would like to read more about cohousing around the world, Kathryn McCamant's book CoHousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves published by Ten Speed Press is viewed by many as the "bible" of the cohousing movement. The book details how the first cohousing efforts were met by the public, government and by the residents themselves. It also offers a step-by-step guide to the planning, financing, and ultimately to the living in a cohousing community.