“ When I ’ m at home , I feel like it ’ s OK that I ’ m there by myself because there ’ s activity right outside my door . It ’ s a balance of privacy in your home and community at your doorstep .”
MARTY MASKALL Cofounder , Fair Oaks EcoHousing
Maskall persisted , and by 2006 , they ’ d found property in rural Orangevale . They met resistance , however , from area homeowners who worried a cohousing community would be disruptive . Then the recession hit , and the group had to abandon its plans . Another similar heartbreak followed in Folsom , but several years later , the seemingly impossible happened : The Fair Oaks location came up for sale again .
By 2014 , Maskall and her cohorts were in full swing , raising money and getting permits . They broke ground in 2017 .
Durrett , who counts Fair Oaks EcoHousing among the 55 cohousing developments he ’ s designed , says there ’ s a central philosophy that links each community . “ The design process is about figuring out the culture of ( a community ) and wrapping the neighborhood around that culture ,” says Durrett , who owns the Cohousing Company , an architectural firm that works with new developments across the United States .
For example , culturally , Americans don ’ t want to hear their neighbors , says Durrett , who has also authored several books on the subject , including the forthcoming “ Designing Cohousing .” This means that townhomes , such as the ones at Fair Oaks EcoHousing , are usually the better ( and more affordable ) option . With their shared walls , they allow residents to enjoy both privacy and socializing .
Gina Massey , one of the first to move into Fair Oaks EcoHousing last summer , wanted that mix of privacy and camaraderie . Massey , widowed and living in Granite Bay at the time , had retired from being a nurse , and her children had grown up and moved away . But she longed for community . Then she attended a talk Durrett gave on the still-fledgling Fair Oaks EcoHousing . The presentation sold her on the idea of living and sharing space with her neighbors , even though the project had yet to break ground . She says she likes cohousing ’ s promise of shared meals and neighborly check-ins . “ Human contact adds richness to your life .”
The growth of cohousing
Less than 20 miles away , Anne Geraghty also sees the potential in the empty spaces of Third and G streets in West Sacramento , where her project , Washington Commons , is in development . Geraghty learned about cohousing after a work retreat at Muir Commons in Davis , the region ’ s oldest such community , completed in 1991 . “( Cohousing ’ s ) immediate appeal was that somebody else would make dinner for me ,” Geraghty says with a laugh . “ I loved the idea that you could do things with people , but you also had your own space .”
Laurie Friedman , a founding member of Muir Commons , says cohousing allows residents to create harmony between the vital parts of our lives : community , work and play . At Muir Commons , as with most other cohousing
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