hOodville!

in our exploration of co-housing, we visited a local community known as Higher Ground. this community was started over a decade ago, and, so, is well-established. it was good to see a living example of a co-housing set up and learn from their experience!

here is a link to general information about higher ground: http://directory.cohousing.org/us_list/?action=view&page=view&record_id=6185

jeff and i contacted them and made arrangements to join them for one of their community meals in their newly remodeled 'common house'. we ate a lovely vegetarian meal with the group. they were having a 'going away' party for one of their couples, so the meal was well-attended. i took some photos of the community.

we liked lots of what we saw at higher ground. the people were just great (with a mix of ages from over 80 to babies), the common grounds were beautiful, the garden was in 'wintering over' stage, but still well-kept, and the houses were interesting and diverse in construction. there were strawbale houses, foam/cement block construction, and several other varieties. each house was unique in appearance, but all were built to be 'resource efficient'. several houses were 'walk in only' with no cars nearby: these were the houses that sold first! the 2 narrow paved 'streets' within the community were more like pathways than urban streets: they just meet the requirements for firetruck access. the center of the community was serene and inviting with a pond, waterfall, lovely 'wild' landscaping and plenty of private spaces as well as shared open areas for group interactions.

problems we saw (for us) at higher ground were the lack of planning for vehicles. when they started the community, they really wanted to de-emphasize vehicles, so they allowed for only single car garages (with a few detached garages on the periphery) AND only one small parking space per house. the result is that most residents have cars parked out on the city streets, and visitors struggle to find a place to park. they've regretted not being more realistic about the needs for parking. they also don't allow storage of boats, trailers, etc. there is no where to put them!

another flaw we saw (and several people who lived there agreed) is that they have no workshop of any kind. we saw residents outside in their small parking spaces or on their landscaping trying to work on cars, saw lumber, etc. and they have arranged their land so that there isn't a place to build any additional kind of community structures like a workshop or a greenhouse. they DO have a wonderful 'common house', but that's all.

with no place to park our solar trailer, and no place for a workshop, higher ground isn't a good fit for us. however, it's obviously a wonderful fit for many people! they are usually 'full' with no houses available for sale or rent. and in testimony to higher ground's ability to attract residents, many of the people who started it are still there AND there are many multi-generational families there, with parents owning a house and grown children with families owning another. what a joy to have grandparents next door!