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-Hierarchical Structure: The responsibilities for the decisions are shared by the community members. We will use Sociocracy as our tool for shared decision-making. Separate Income Sources: Residents have their own primary incomes; the community does not generate income.

We found a site in a safe, quiet urban neighborhood, within walking distance of cafes, shops, and entertainment. It has a walkability score of 87 and is also close to transit.

The common house is the central focus of cohousing communities. The common house extends individual living and gathering spaces, providing space for planned get-togethers and ad-hoc social interaction. It will include a large dining area, kitchen and mail boxes. It may also include a shared workroom, library, and other spaces for conversation and reflection. Many common houses are designed with guest suites. Depending on the needs, interests, and budget of our group, we might decide to include things like a: Sculpture or musical studio spaces Meditation/Yoga room Outside terrace or rooftop deck Shared laundry

Members will collaborate with architects and engineers to design the community, with guidance from our cohousing consultant Katie McCamant. The physical layout of the community will need to fit on the site. A benefit to joining us now is that you can have a say in the design. We are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint, and we are committed to a community that is accessible and designed for aging in place. We want a pleasant place to live and enhance our interactions with one another.

Cohousing communities are ideally 20 - 40 households, with the actual number dictated by the zoning and density permitted on the site.

We would love to move in tomorrow, but it's a complex undertaking to develop a new cohousing community. If all goes according to plan with the site we have identified in Baltimore, we could move in by 2029.

The residents of the community share responsibility for maintenance of the property and grounds. 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. Many communities have a monthly work party followed by a shared lunch.

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. However, with our commitment to living intentionally, many ordinary conflicts, usually avoided in other environments, are often resolved employing the communication and decision-making resources common in cohousing. 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.

Join us for an Information Session and find out more! After attending an information session, we invite you to become an Explorer.