On common ground

On common ground

A collaborative housing idea from Denmark is finding a niche in parts of California. Families and the elderly choose to share meals, chores, costs and, of course, their lives.

By Diane Wedner

Times Staff Writer

December 14, 2003

Stephanie Ricceri curled up on the sofa in a library festooned with children's photographs and, surrounded by friends and family seated two-deep on chairs, opened the birthday gifts piled in front of her.

When the gift-opening ended, the children, some barefooted, others wrapped in warm sweaters and sneakers, darted among the chatting adults. The rich aroma of pastas and baked goods wafted into the room from the nearby kitchen.

The familial atmosphere of Tierra Nueva Cohousing — a community of duplexes and single-family homes tucked among gardens, winding paths and groves of avocado and eucalyptus trees — is exactly what attracted the seniors, singles and families with children to this community in Oceano, near San Luis Obispo on California's Central Coast.

Tierra Nueva, which was completed five years ago, is a 21st century version of a long-ago village, where elders keep an eye on the children, borrowing a cup of milk is just fine and problems are solved by talking about them. Regularly.

Collaborative communities are catching on in California, especially in the central and northern regions of the state. A strong desire to participate in multigenerational communities where child care, gardening and some meals are shared, but living spaces are separate and private, has motivated residents of all ages to participate in the growing housing movement.

"Co-housing gets people together," said Raines Cohen, director of the Cohousing Assn. of the United States, whose headquarters is in Berkeley. "We talk about our lives, we know each other, and know how to watch out for each other."

"We're an extended family without all the baggage," said Kathryn McCamant, an architect and developer of co-housing projects nationwide, who with her husband, Charles Durrett, literally wrote the book about the concept: "Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves."

The movement has largely attracted middle-income, white, well-educated residents; about a third of them work out of their homes. Developments are primarily in urban and suburban areas. Participants help design the complexes, which adhere to conservation-minded standards.

Doyle Street Cohousing in Emeryville, Calif., formerly an industrial space, was transformed in 1992 into a 12-unit complex of loft-style residences. Its common areas include a sitting area with a wood-burning stove, a kitchen and dining room, a children's playroom, a workshop and recreation room, a laundry room and a hot tub.

"We're getting back to an intentional village, an extended-family feel we experienced for most of our history as human beings," said Neshama Abraham, who with her husband, Zev Paiss, serve as consultants to such projects nationwide and live in a Boulder, Colo., co-housing complex. "It's easy to get people excited about it."

The current co-housing movement began in Denmark — where it's called bofaellesskaber, or "living communities" — more than two decades ago. By 1993, Denmark had more than 140 such complexes. In 1988, McCamant and Durrett, both of whom studied architecture in Denmark, published their book detailing the Danish model and providing steps for building these communities in the U.S.

The first American co-housing development — Muir Commons in Davis, Calif. — was constructed in 1991. Like later co-housing communities, it emphasizes privacy amid communal, or shared, spaces. The 26-unit complex has individually owned housing units, in 800 to 1,400 square feet.

Co-housing residents buy their units, which usually are town homes or condos, and pay monthly fees for the upkeep of the common areas, much like homeowners' associations in condominium complexes. Additionally, co-housing residents contribute monthly fees for frequent communal dinners and group events, which are a mainstay of the communities.

There are 70 established co-housing developments nationwide and 20 more are under construction. Oak Creek Commons in Paso Robles, Calif., a 36-unit complex on 14 acres, most of which is a nature preserve, is set to open early next year.

Launching the projects is not easy, however.

"It's daunting, a real challenge," said Patty Gourley, 54, one of the original Tierra Nueva residents. "We forged the trail for others."

Normally a two- to four-year process, Tierra Nueva took 10 years to go from concept to construction. It was bogged down by legal entanglements associated with the land donated for the project. Today it's a thriving community of 27 households; 55% of the residents are older than 55. The 24 children range in age from 2 to 16, and the oldest resident is 94.

Every household has a say in the running of the community, and problems from noisy children to rules for pets are worked out in monthly meetings at which the participants use the communication skills they learned in putting the community together.

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, the day of Ricceri's 46th birthday celebration, children raced around Tierra Nueva's rustic complex, seemingly free of the over-supervision and over-programming some suburban and urban children experience. The evening's cooks gathered parsley, avocados, squash and lemons from the gardens, which were used in the communal meal.

The dinner was held in the common house, which features a large kitchen, play rooms for children, a library, two guest rooms with bathrooms, a TV room and an office with sign-up boards for the Mop Brigade and Filth Fighters. About 50 residents, seated in clusters at tables, devoured the pasta and salad, then toasted Ricceri as they downed slices of homemade cheesecake.

Like most California homes purchased in the last half-decade, Tierra Nueva's have seen a considerable boost in value. A three-bedroom unit that five years ago cost $160,000 now sells for $310,000. Homes rarely go on the market there, but when they do, anyone is welcome to tender an offer. Potential buyers are urged to attend parties and meals and spend time with the other residents so they understand what the community process is about.

"There's a concern about someone buying in who will be counter to the philosophy," said Harold Shapiro, who holds co-housing informational meetings in Los Angeles.

"But usually, only people of like minds move in. It's a self-selecting process."

Co-housing veterans say the earliest planning stages for the community are the most fraught with friction. Often, prospective members who want a more rural site, for example, break away from other households that prefer a suburban or urban setting.

Once established, though, community problems center more on lining up volunteers for maintenance jobs and dealing with loud pets and children. Monthly meetings address these and other social issues.

Although co-housing has not assumed a foothold in Southern California yet — exorbitant land costs and long commuting distances are most often cited as hurdles — other "collaborative" housing arrangements do exist.

Shapiro, 72, and his wife, Sandra, 63, live in a sprawling, 6,000-square-foot home set on more than an acre in Studio City. As strong proponents of collaborative housing, the couple decided two years ago to adapt their home, in which Sandra grew up, to accommodate three couples.

Harry Ohls and Dona Williams, the Shapiros' married friends, moved in one year ago, and occupy the 900-square-foot upstairs bedroom and sitting room with a fireplace. The area features a large walk-in closet and bathroom.

The communal areas of the house include a large rumpus-style room with a bar, the living room and dining room, and outdoor patios, yards, tennis court and pool. The couples share evening meals twice a week. The couple pay the Shapiros monthly rent.

The Shapiros have converted a 600-square-foot art studio, with a separate entrance, into a guesthouse for which they're currently interviewing potential residents, possibly a single parent with a child.

"We live as a family," Shapiro said. "We want people we can trust, can express vulnerability and fears to. That's community trust."

Across town, in the urban core, residents of Los Angeles Eco-Village have carved out their own cooperative, ecologically based community. The 40 "intentional neighbors," as Lois Arkin, executive director of Cooperative Resources and Services Project and a 23-year resident of the area calls them, live in a variety of dwellings on the edge of Koreatown. The two-block area is lined with fruit trees they've planted.

Anchoring the Eco-Village is a bright yellow, two-story building with 40 rental units, a community room where "consensus surveys" — bulletin boards on which residents vote about a variety of issues — line the walls, and a "bike kitchen," where residents store and repair their bicycles. A chicken and rabbit roam around the backyard, which is home to several compost piles, a vegetable garden, a straw-bale bench and a solar-powered fountain.

Rents range from $420 to $700 a month, and renters are selected with "100% consensus" from residents, Arkin said. Applicants fill out a 20-question application and must demonstrate a commitment to the group's philosophy.

On Sundays, residents socialize at a potluck dinner. As in any communal setting, a few individuals take on the lion's share of leadership and other roles, Arkin said, resulting in overload and burnout.

Most members, however, are devoted to "creating a community among friends," said Eco-Village resident Brad Mowers, 50. "I think the potential here is phenomenal. We're a pretty happy group of people, and I plan to stay indefinitely."

To find out more about co-housing

The first step to building a collaborative-style community is learning about it. A number of books, websites, companies and organizations can help.

• "Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves," by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett, Ten Speed Press, 1994.

• "Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities," by Diana Leafe Christian, New Society Publishers, 2003.

• http://www.cohousing.org : Cohousing Assn. of the United States.

• http://www.ic.org : information about intentional communities.

• http://www.ic.org/laev : information about Los Angeles Eco-Village. (213) 738-1254.

• http://www.cohousingco.com : The Cohousing Co. and general co-housing information. (510) 549-9980.

• http://www.whdc.com : Wonderland Hill Development Co., which specializes in co-housing developments. (303) 449-3232.

• Neshama Abraham and Zev Paiss, co-housing experts: (303) 413-8066; ZPaiss@comcast.net.

• Co-housing workshop: "Getting It Built — The Nuts and Bolts of Creating a Cohousing Community," Jan. 30-31, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, 4190 Front St., San Diego. To register, visit http://www.cohousing.org or call (303) 413-8066.

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