CoHousing Partners facilitates the acquisition of cohousing sites in several ways:

• negotiating and purchasing sites directly from landowners
• assisting forming groups to assess feasibility of potential sites
• securing sites within larger master planned neighborhoods

Urban, suburban and rural communities

Successful cohousing communities have been built in urban, suburban and rural areas, and can accommodate a variety of housing types. While the most typical cohousing model is clustered townhomes, a more urban site might utilize several stories of flats, and a larger site might incorporate duplexes or a few detached single family homes.

Search for a site for 30-35 homes

We recommend that forming groups search for a site that will allow them to build 30-35 homes. The specific acreage will vary, depending on what densities are allowable and appropriate to a particular area. We have found, however, that 30-35 households creates a strong, connected social life, while also enabling community to create economies of scale.

If a site has more land than is required for a cohousing project, we'll explore a number of options. We have co-located communities, for example, locating a multi-generational and senior cohousing community next door to one another. We have also incorporated retail, offices or preserved open space into our projects, to optimize the use of the property.

The sorts of questions that we ask in evaluating a site include:

• Is it a place where cohousers would want to live?
• Does the zoning allow for at least 30-35 homes?
• How walkable is the area?
• Is the seller willing to hold the property while we do our initial work?

If you have a site that you feel might work for cohousing, please email Rick Mockler or call at 530-297-7115

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