Site Tour: Saturday, March 10, 2018
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What is Life in Cohousing Like?
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We have often wondered, in our journey toward community, what will life in cohousing really be like?
Takoma Village Cohousing is a thriving cohousing community in Washington, D.C. which has been in existence since 2000. To see how life has evolved there, the AARP Livable Communities program sat down with 10 Takoma Village residents ranging in age from 36 to 76 to learn how the community came together, how residents balance privacy and shared space, and how work does indeed get done by consensus. See the full article here:
20 Questions and Answers about Cohousing
The
AARP Livable Communities program is helping communities nationwide become livable places for people of all ages and life stages
.
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Meet our Architect - Chuck Durrett
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We are fortunate to have Charles Durrett as our architect to shepherd us through the design process. Durrett, with Kathryn McCamant, introduced the concept of cohousing to the United States. Their latest book is
Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities
. Durrett has written several other books on cohousing and senior cohousing. He and his team at The Cohousing Company/McCamant & Durrett Architects have designed more than 50 cohousing communities in the United States and around the world, including Muir Commons in Davis, California, the first cohousing community in North America. His work has been featured in
Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal
, and many other publications.
McCamant & Durrett Architects is known for sustainable, innovative, and green design. Charles Durrett has received numerous awards, which include the World Habitat Award presented by the United Nations, the Silver Achievement Award by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and many others. He was also recently declared as a “visionary of the Sierras” by the Sierra Business Council.
He lives in Nevada City, California, where he primarily designs model communities and comfortable homes, including the 34-home cohousing community in which he lives.
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As construction begins on our project,
Fair Oaks EcoHousing has only a few homes left. Call now to tour the site and reserve either the popular 2 bedroom flat, or the spacious 2-story 4 bedroom townhome that is now available.
Key features for both include:
•
Large windows, allowing natural light to penetrate deep into the home and make rooms feel light and spacious
• Open design for living and dining areas, providing more natural light and flexibility in use
• Modern kitchen
with ample storage and counter space
The townhome includes:
• Spacious upstairs master bedroom with a full master bath and walk-through closet
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First-floor bedroom, ideal for a home office, an aging family member, or single-floor downstairs living
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Large wrap-around porch that provides roomy outdoor living space
Like all homes in Fair Oaks EcoHousing, these homes are designed for efficient living, with eco-friendly construction and high-quality fixtures and finishes.
Fair Oaks EcoHousing is a pedestrian-friendly village for residents of all ages, with a centrally-located clubhouse, pool and spa, and garden.
The location is close to Fair Oaks Village and the American River Parkway, with many nearby dining and entertainment options, plus easy access to the freeway.
If you are interested in learning about the community, please come to the site tour on Saturday March 10.
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COMMUNITY NEWS
Find Out About Our Community
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Facilitation and Conflict Resolution Training
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As part of ongoing work on developing our community building skills, we hosted Dr. Joe Cole who presented a full day of facilitation training to strengthen community skills in facilitation and collaborative work, and training on conflict and conflict tools.
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During the day, we explored the enormous challenges that cooperative groups face in trying to create a culture shift in their group away from individualistic/competitive/adversarial attitudes and skills towards collaborative attitudes and skills.
We did a lot of role playing, which proved to be a highly effective method for learning and practice of techniques. We discussed best practices for developing proposals and moving towards consent decisions and implementation. And we worked on tools to help cultivate awareness, acceptance and a foundation for compassionate understanding and listening in dealing with conflict resolution.
Members thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, the work involved, and the skill and leadership of Dr. Cole. They reported that the sessions led to better understanding of community members, and to laughing more than usual! We hope to continue regular training to develop our skills toward creating ever better community living.
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Dinner and Theatre at American River College
Last week a group of EcoHousers enjoyed an elegant dinner at American River College’s Oak Café, followed by an entertaining production of
Lend Me a Tenor
, a very funny comic romp (lower right). Pictured in the upper right are Joy, Gina, Mary, Subhash, Marty, and Linda, with friends Dorothy and Marilyn. Gina said: “I can’t remember when I’ve laughed so much!” The play runs through March 4
th
. For more info, visit
www.arctheatre.org/productions
. The group is already planning to attend
Julius Caesar
in April.
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Fair Oaks EcoHousing Site Tour
Saturday, March 10
, 10:30am
Fair Oaks EcoHousing will be a neighborhood of 30 homes on 3.7 acres in Fair Oaks, CA, 18 miles east of downtown Sacramento. Come see the site and our architectural plans, and meet members at an upcoming tour. Kids are welcome.
Act fast! Fair Oaks EcoHousing has only a few homes left. If you are interested, please come to the Site Tour (details below). Other h
omes do become available on occasion. If you like what you see at the tour, please join our interest list to be notified of new availability.
To go on the Site Tour, meet at 10:30 am
at the
Fair Oaks Coffeehouse in Fair Oaks Village,
at 10223 Fair Oaks Blvd
, at the intersection with Park Drive. Look for us on the side of the Coffeehouse, in the patio area or in the building at the back. We can carpool to the site. Please wear closed toe shoes to visit the construction site.
The tour will last about an hour and a half, with an optional lunch afterwards at the Siam Patio Restaurant or the Smokey Oaks Tavern.
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Want to Learn More About Fair Oaks & Sacramento?
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Pictured: Fair Oaks Village, Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, Floating the American River.
Click below for useful links, there's a lot to keep us busy here!
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Fair Oaks EcoHousing | www.FairOaksEcoHousing.org
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