Co-Housing

Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant coined the term "co-housing" in 1984 after a research visit to Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. They were intrigued by the uniqueness of this type of housing and its emphasis on building long term communities (many in existence for over 30 years). Residents in co-housing communities usually own their self-contained units, much like a traditional condominium, but co-housing communities usually have features such as shared meals and common spaces. The average community consists of 30 households, although there are some with much fewer units and others as large as 50 or more.

Most co-housing communities are new construction, built on vacant land at the edge of cities or metropolitan areas. Nearly all are some variant on the town home design, with groupings of six to ten attached town home units common. Most communities are not feasible for lower income households, although some have affordable units. There are a growing number of urban co-housing communities retrofitting existing buildings or finding sites to develop new housing. Urban co-housing communities are typically more dense, smaller in numbers, and have less square footage per unit than communities in more suburban areas.

A co-housing community's arrangement is integral to its success. Traditional residential areas focus inward, serving to protect the home from the outside world and neighbors. Conversely, co-housing communities are designed to encourage interaction and facilitate connections with community members while completing daily tasks such as picking up the mail. The Common House (shared laundry, mail and kitchen facilities) is a key component of many co-housing communities. Individual units have many similar facilities, but most residents utilize the Common House on a daily basis, thus creating many opportunities to interact with their neighbors. Common Houses are usually centrally located, with housing units arranged around landscaped pedestrian corridors. Community dinners may be prepared at the Common House by residents weekly on a rotating basis. These dinners are an important aspect of community life where residents can socialize and interact on a regular basis.

There are co-housing communities in nearly every state in the United States and Canada. Monterey Co-housing Community in St. Louis Park, established in 1992, is the only formally established co-housing community in Minnesota. The community bought land with an existing building to convert to apartments, and enough land to build additional units.

Co-Housing in Minnesota

Chester Creek House Women's Collective

Duluth, MN

218-728-5468

Monterey Co-housing

St. Louis Park, MN

952-930-7554

Wiscoy-valley Land Cooperative

Rt. 3 Box 163 Winona, MN

507-452-4990

Zephyr Valley Community Co-op

Rt. 1 Box 121 Rushford, MN

www.zephyrvalleycoop.org