Phoenix Commons calls itself a “cooperative lifestyle community,” why use this term?

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We believe the co-housing model of community organization is the best model for active seniors who are seeking the best way to sustain a vital community. We also think a cooperative form of ownership is the best way to sustain a community financially. Although the two have different histories, they both try to achieve the same outcome – a group of people who intentionally try to work together to create a sustainable and interdependent neighborhood that fosters independence and honors privacy. Rather than move into a senior-friendly community and accept what is offered by professional management, people now have an alternative to choose a lifestyle that uses cooperative principles (found in both co-housing and cooperatives) to achieve a self-managed community where the members make the rules.

So for our purposes, co-housing and cooperatives should be seen as siblings, with very few differences – used interchangeably for simplicity. A “cooperative lifestyle community” is therefore a descriptive term for a community where all choose to live under cooperative and co-housing principles.

Why is this grassroots alternative now arising?

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People are seeking alternatives to the car-oriented suburban way of life that isolates so many people in their retirement years. Co-housing communities offer nurturing places where people grow and age well in a community of like-minded people. Co-housing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods. Co-housing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The physical design encourages both social contact and individual space. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground and a common house.

Co-housing communities are usually designed as attached homes along one or more pedestrian streets or clustered around a courtyard. They range in size from 7 to 67 residences, the majority of them housing 20 to 40 households – Phoenix Commons has 41 units. Regardless of the size of the community, there are many opportunities for casual meetings between neighbors, as well as for deliberate gatherings such as celebrations, clubs and business meetings.

The “common house” (or community space) is designed to give extensive amenities not found in most communities, so the units live larger than a common condo or attached home. Phoenix Commons’ common area is over 7,000 square feet, just under the size of three houses. The common house is the social center of the community, with a large dining room and kitchen, lounges or community rooms, exercise or fitness area, recreational facilities, workshop and laundry room. Communities often have a separate guest unit in or near the common house where guests often stay free of charge when they visit. Communities usually serve optional group meals in the common house up to five times a week. The need for community members to take care of common property builds a sense of working together, trust and support as well as substantially reducing costs. Because neighbors hold a commitment to a relationship with one another, almost all co-housing communities use consensus as the basis for group decision-making.

Senior communities like Phoenix Commons also address the need for universal design (barrier-free living that is already adapted to address issues of aging) that fosters independence even in the later years. Green building also allows occupants to live lighter on the earth and enjoy energy savings of modern construction. The group purchasing capability of co-housing/cooperative communities achieve many financial and quality advantages as well.

Source: Information for this question is gained from literature provided by the Cohousing Association of the United States – http://www.cohousing.org (Edited and modified to accommodate space requirements).

How can an active senior community be both co-housing and a co-op?

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It is simple when you look at the many similarities rather than the few differences. The few differences are mainly related to finance. Most co-housing developments use the condo model, where there are 41 individual owners with individual title (each paying their own bank mortgage) to their unit, but are also part of a HOA that requires joint liability. A co-op is a group of 41 individual shares of a single mortgage together and have an HOA much like a condo HOA. Co-housing owners must respect the individual ownership of each unit like a traditional condo, while trying to live together under some blanket philosophy to try to live together. Co-ops have certain rights that condos do not have under the law. When a group of people choose to live in community these differences do not mean much, but when a dispute arises, the law comes first. The difference really should boil down to how you pay your mortgage. If you live in a condo you pay the bank, if you live in a co-op you pay your neighbors, who then pay the bank.

What is a cooperative (co-op) housing community?

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Senior cooperatives are a much more common form of self-managed communities. Some senior co-ops date back to the 1970s and there are many, many more of them than senior co-housing communities. Many senior cooperatives have hired on-site management, but some do not. Take away the outside management option, and co-ops are very close to co-housing in how they operate – with the emphasis on cooperative living.

So co-housing is more a style of living and cooperatives are more a form of ownership. Both work on a cooperative philosophy of community organization, which Phoenix Commons believes is paramount in achieving a sustainable, self-managed senior community. It is this philosophy or lifestyle that Phoenix Commons wants to foster, the exact form is really up to the people that choose to live there.

How many co-housing or co-op projects designed for older adults exist, and how many are planned?

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There are currently four co-housing communities designed for older adults in the country (with many more in Northern Europe, where they originated). In this country, two of these, Wolf Creek and Glacier Circle, are located in California and an additional five communities are now under development, including Phoenix Commons. There are many more senior cooperatives in the Midwest and East Coast, where co-ops are common forms of ownership. There are many co-housing and cooperative communities throughout the United States that have no age restrictions – they are often called multi-generational communities. Age-restricted communities are new, but are quickly becoming much more popular. Some of the seniors who live in senior-only co-housing and co-ops moved there from multi-generational communities.

How will I know if co-housing is a good option for me?

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Co-housing/co-op living is not for everyone, as it requires a higher level of participation and commitment than is common in most communities designed for active adults. Co-housing requires that you engage with and support each other and the community as a whole. It is through this experience of interdependence that you derive the benefits of a co-housing community.

Ask yourself if you would appreciate a greater commitment and connection between you and your neighbors in the next stage of life. Consider if you would enjoy co-creating a life with others and taking charge of your future together.

What is co-housing?

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There are many co-housing communities in the United States, but only a small number of senior co-housing communities in this country, although their numbers are growing. Most co-housing communities are currently financed as condominiums for various reasons. They are also independently managed by the members of the community with no outside management. More than an architectural style, this form of community is also about how people live together to try to achieve a better outcome than living alone. The organization is intentional in that all who choose to live there agree to contribute to the common good, make decisions by consensus, and accept the responsibilities of being a member of a community that works together without the control or interference of outside management.

Co-housing does have its architectural influences or conventions that make such communities unique when compared to conventional housing. The community is usually designed to allow for easy casual interaction, have a guest room(s) or apartment, and a “common house” much larger than typical condo community rooms. The design of the community is a joint effort of the members who will live there along with the developer and architect. The key element here is the involvement by future members early in the design phase. Although building codes, multifamily-type construction and prudent choices to achieve economical solutions dictate much of the building, future residents participate in many design decisions that affect how they will live. This participatory form of design is unique to co-housing and is an integral part of creating a sustainable community. The form of ownership is usually a condominium, but it can be a cooperative. Phoenix Commons will be financed as a cooperative, but it still looks to the co-housing model for its organizational philosophy.