Heartwood Commons / February 2019 Newsletter
Creating a new community way of living where neighbors become friends in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Hi there!

Here's our newsletter at a glance:

  • Land Purchase: It's Official
  • We were featured in the local news
  • Jan's Story: why she's choosing to invest and live in community
  • This Thursday (2/7): Hear from national cohousing experts
  • Participatory Design Workshops starting in February: there's still time to join
  • National Cohousing Conference: Early bird registration is open

Hope you enjoy the newsletter, and hope to see you at an event soon!

In community,
-Heartwood Commons Members
Land Purchase: It's Official
We now officially own our land!!! On January 15th we closed on our beautiful 4.8 acres of land at 7131/7141 S. Quincy. During the closing we met the families who owned the two parcels. They shared stories of life on the land, showed us pictures, and even helped us identify a mystery tree. (Turned out it is a sassafras tree.) Both families are excited to see their land become our new home and to following our progress. Soon we will have stories of our own to tell of life on our land.
Many thanks to Ryan McDaniel and Blue Sky Bank for making the land loan process so easy. We love working with local folks! A special shout out and thanks to our realtor Kevin Anderson of Kevin Anderson & Associates for helping us sort through more than 60 properties to find the perfect spot for our cohousing community.
Ryan McDaniel of Blue Sky Bank, Suzy Sharp, Claudia Vandiver, Fred Pottorf of Heartwood Commons, and Kevin Anderson of Kevin Anderson & Associates
We begin designing our community in February. Dreams really do come true.
We were featured in the local news!
"Senior Living: A New Way of Life"
Pat Darlington gives a tour of Oakcreek Community in Stillwater, OK (our model community). Once built, Heartwood Commons will be Oklahoma's second (and Tulsa's first) cohousing community.

"Darlington couldn't have imagined a happier life. She's part of an active community with people who care about her and will be there when she needs them. When asked about her quality of life right now, Darlington responded, 'Oh about an 11 on a scale of 10.'"
Jan's Story
Why I’m choosing to invest in and live in cohousing
by Jan Owen
For many years, I have talked with friends about living together when we got older. But when is older? 55? 65? 75? When I found out about the new cohousing community forming in Tulsa 2 years ago, I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford it but since they had not gotten far enough into it to actually determine how much it would cost, I began participating in the meetings and daydreaming with the group about a future home. I was 64 then.

After 2 years of working, planning, searching for a site and daydreaming, we now have a location, a name and a better idea of what our daydream may produce. And although I know that it will cost more than I planned at first, I now know that I can afford it because of what I have learned about cohousing and myself. I am now reassured that it will be more economical in the long run, healthier, more fun and less stressful than moving in with family or into a traditional retirement community.
Our community in Tulsa will be called “Heartwood Commons.” This is symbolic of the way we see ourselves. The heartwood is the matured older wood in the center of a tree that gives strength and support to the green younger wood. We will be the strength for each other and the greater community around us. We are better and stronger together than we are apart. We hope others will join us in this endeavor — a labor of love, commitment and greatly enhanced future.
Join us for our Upcoming Event
Hear from national cohousing experts
Thursday, February 7, 6:30 pm (doors open at 6 pm)
Live Longer and Healthier the Cohousing Way: A Conversation with National Cohousing Experts

Zarrow Pointe, 2025 E 71st Street, Town Center building (1st building on your left past the outdoor pool)

If you are interested in living a longer, more vibrant life in a community where neighbors become friends, you won’t want to miss this opportunity!

Join us for a special evening with our team of national Cohousing experts who will share what living in Cohousing is like, the process of designing a Cohousing development with the community, and an update on Heartwood Commons - Tulsa’s first Cohousing development! Learn about this unique lifestyle and how it can help you live a longer, more active life in a community of friends.

Reservations requested to 918-519-5298 or to greencountrycohousing@gmail.com or to ssharptulsa@yahoo.com .
Participatory Design Workshops
There's still time to get involved and be part of creating this community!

Design Workshops Starting in February
Most cohousing communities share common characteristics such as private homes, shared spaces, a common house, group decision making, etc. However, the design of each community is different. This is because what a community looks like and how it functions reflects the unique vision and values of the people who are a part of the community.

The design process for Heartwood Commons begins in February with the first of four workshops that will be led by our team of architects. These workshops will each focus on a different aspect of the community. In February we’ll focus on the Site Plan, in March the Common House, in April the Private Homes and in May we’ll conclude with a Design Closure workshop. During these workshops, Members of Heartwood Commons, with input from our Explorers, will brainstorm, explore and make decisions on how the community will be laid out on the land, what will be included in the common house, sizes and features of the private homes, and other aspects of the community.
When all the workshops are done, we’ll have a good picture of what our future at Heartwood Commons will look like. Our architects will take our input and decisions and move to draw up the plans for our community that our construction team will build from.

If you’ve been thinking about cohousing and you’d like to help create the community, literally, now’s the time get involved. See How To Get Involved on our website or call us at 918-519-5298.
National Cohousing Conference
Saturday, June 1st - Sunday June 2nd
Intensives and Tours offered May 30-31
The Conference will bring together members of cohousing communities from across the U.S. It will offer tracks for forming communities; for those already living in cohousing; and for mature communities.

Registration is now open at cohousing.org, with an Earlybird discount ($375) currently in effect. You can also browse all sessions and speakers, reserve a room at the Portland Hilton hotel, and read about "things to do in Portland" by going here: About the Conference .

Want to find out more about Heartwood Commons?