Cohousing a great way to experience community

By Erin Perkins

Imagine living somewhere that embodied a sense of community usually found only in rural Canada.

That's what cohousing can be, and is, for the growing number of people beginning to buy into this trendy concept.

Stuart McKinnon and Wolf Willow from the Middle Road Cohousing Community in Nelson, B.C. made a presentation about cohousing to more than 20 people in Grand Forks, Saturday, March 3 at the Anglican Church hall.

After a brief video on cohousing initatives in general, McKinnon and Willow discussed the cohousing unit they live in and then fielded a lot of curious questions from the crowd.

Cohousing began in Denmark in 1972. It was brought to North America by an architect. It has really taken off in Canada over the past decade, said McKinnon. There are presently about six in B.C., with more on the way. There are about 150 cohousing properties across North America.

Middle Road Cohousing, where McKinnon and Willow live, is 11 private homes located on 50 acres above Kootenay Lake, just 11 kms from Nelson. The community was completed in 1996. McKinnon and Willow have lived there for the past 10 years after buying a home being sold within the already completed community.

Cohousing is not usually shared houses as the name seems to imply, but rather an intentional community of people who own their property and homes but who share common values and often have shared community amenities like a common house for community gatherings. They can be either rural or urban, homes or apartments. Everyone continues to have their own lives and jobs, but with the added benefit and support of their community. Cohousing usually includes a diverse range of ages and often ethnic backgrounds.

"In this world of cohousing, there is a great deal of life and diversity," said McKinnon.

Consensus and common houses all part of cohousing

McKinnon has been involved in cohousing since the 1990s, where they'd been involved with one in Calgary, Alberta. Willow has lived in coop housing and shared housing in Edmonton, Alberta before meeting McKinnon.

Their present home at Middle Road was founded on creating a safe place to raise children. As an older couple, they enjoy spending time with the next generation. The group operates on a concensus system anytime a decision must be made -- a process both Willow and McKinnon enjoy.

"I realized how many preconceived ideas I have," said McKinnon. "Then I go and listen to others and it makes you more curious...We're not thinking solely as individuals, but as a group. It's not a bad thing to have someone say no, that won't work for me."

The common house is also a unique part of the cohousing experience. It is much like a community hall used to be but with even greater activity. At Middle Road, there are community meals, a play room for the kids, meetings, seasonal festivities and homeschooling activities.

"The common house is truly the heart of the thing," said Willow. "Eating together is a very central part of the community. It brings families together as families."

"It's a very special thing to co-own something that everyone uses. It's a wonderful learning place because you have to learn to work things out," said McKinnon.

As in any community, the homes are privately owned and they can be sold. Some even have rental units as a mortgage helper. However, cohousing is not social housing.

"If you can't already afford to buy land and improve it, then you can't be involved in cohousing," said McKinnon.

Cohousing concept coming to Christina Lake

As written in the Boundary Sentinel last month, there is a couple who would like to start an Eco-Village in the Ponderosa area of Christina Lake.

Edward McLeod has purchased a 100 acre parcel that he is presently trying to have re-zoned to create a 37 lot cohousing community that focusses on environmental sustainability -- hence the name Eco-Village. Not only would it be a close-knit rural community, but his proposal also features a cooperative unit with organic farming, egg and honey production, a cafe and wellness retreat.

"We want to have our own needs met completely within our own community," said McLeod.

Although he can't sell any of the lots until the zoning application has been completed and a survey has been done, McLeod is still looking for like-minded people who might be interested in living within an Eco-Village lifestyle. So far he's gotten a lot of interest locally, provincially and even internationally.

"We feel cohousing is a critical part -- we want diversity in our community," said McLeod. "We have a 500 year plan. We want to create a model to attract people from all corners of Canada... It's a blank page and we want to create something beautiful."

Short presentations were also made by Grand Forks's Habitat for Humanity and Rod Gustafson, owner of the Broadacres facility in Grand Forks, who could see a cohousing potential for their projects as well.

For more information about cohousing please visit the Canadian Cohousing Network at www.cohousing.ca . To find out more about the Ponderosa Eco-Village email McLeod at or view the Boundary Sentinel article at http://boundarysentinel.com/news/eco-village-proposed-ponderosa-area-16424.