Cohousing of Greater Baltimore

Cohousing is a form of intentional community living characterized by the following: Participatory Process: Residents help organize and participate in the planning and design process for the housing development, and they are responsible as a group for final decisions. Deliberate Neighborhood Design: The physical design encourages a strong sense of community. Extensive Common Facilities: Common areas are an integral part of the community, designed for daily use and to supplement private living areas. Complete Resident Management: Residents manage the development, making decisions of common concern at community meetings. Non-Hierarchal Structure: There are not really leadership roles. The responsibilities for the decisions are shared by the community’s adults. Separate Income Sources: Residents have their own primary incomes; the community does not generate income. ​ (From The Senior Housing Handbook, by Charles Durrett)

We would love to move in tomorrow, but it's a complex undertaking. Our hope is to move in 2025-26, but it depends on how quickly we find a site for our community.

Cohousing communities are ideally 25-35 households, with the actual number dictated by the zoning and density permitted on the site selected.

Maryland currently has a couple of cohousing communities, but there are none in the Baltimore area and none designated as senior cohousing. Liberty Village is a multigenerational community in Frederick, and another multigenerational community is Eastern Village Cohousing in Silver Spring. Takoma Village Cohousing in Washington D.C. is a long-established urban community. The closest example of a senior cohousing community is Shepherd Village in Shepherdstown, WV.

In a group of 30 or so households, there will be people you feel especially close to and perhaps a few who turn you off. Unless you plan to live without the benefits of community, that’s one of the risks you will almost certainly face. In the cohousing environment, the emphasis on balancing privacy and community provides some insulation against the need to deal frequently with a less-loved neighbor. Since everybody has their own homes, you can have solitude when you need it, even from your friends.

The residents of the community share responsibility for community governance as well as maintenance of physical facilities. We’ll be responsible for snow removal, maintaining the common house, mowing the grass, and otherwise working together to keep the community in good shape. The community will decide as a group when to hire professional help to maintain the common areas, but many cohousing groups find doing much of the basic maintenance is not only cost-effective, but a bonding experience with other residents.

Our goal is to find a safe, quiet neighborhood, ideally within walking distance of amenities like cafes, shops, and entertainment. It should have a small town feel and be within driving distance of larger urban settings.

Typically, members collaborate with architects and engineers to design the community. The physical layout of the community will be determined to some degree by the site, hence the benefit to joining us now! You can have a say in our site and its design. We are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint, and thus envision some combination of apartments, duplexes, triplexes even if we have more acreage. Primarily we want a pleasant place to live and enhance our interactions with one another.

The Common House is typically a separate structure and is the central focus of every cohousing community. It will include a large dining area and a commercial-grade kitchen for sharing meals; the frequency we will later determine. It may also include exercise facilities, a shared workroom, library, and other spaces for conversation and reflection. Many common houses are designed with guest suites, and in the Senior Cohousing model, one of those guest suites may eventually serve as living space for on-site nursing support. Depending on the needs, interests, and budget of our group, we might decide to include things like a: Sauna and/or Jacuzzi Game room Sculpture or musical studio spaces Meditation/Yoga room Bar and cocktail area Outside terrace

Join us for an info session and find out more!