Communities Directory: RoseWind Cohousing

Formed: 1989

RoseWind Cohousing

Port Townsend, Washington,

United States

(S)

(Similar to a college town, w lots of art, music, liberal politics, plus boats, organic food, and mild weather)

RoseWind Cohousing is a community of people who want fairly frequent and positive interactions with their neighbors. We would like to live a little more lightly by sharing, by preserving green space, and by practicing some sustainable agriculture within our small-town community. We want to live and learn, work and play together. We do our best to function as a group that is respectful of individuals, using consensus to make decisions and set policies.

We have designed a neighborhood that includes a central commons with a large vegetable garden, playground, grassy fields, and wild-rose thickets. Our privately-owned lots show our individuality in the diversity of building styles. Our common house (community hall) is frequently used, for meals, meetings, concerts, and other gatherings.

We continue to evolve our group process and sometimes stumble, but through it all we maintain our friendly connections with one another. We look out for each other in many ways large and small.

The town of 8000 where we are located is Port Townsend, on the NE corner of Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Seattle is about 3 hours away. PT has Victorian history, boats, lots of art and music, liberal politics, a moderate climate and seasonal festivals. It's a great town for children and families, especially.

Website: http://www.rosewind.org/

Contact:

Lynn Nadeau
3221 Haines St
Port Townsend, Washington 98368 United States

Links:

http://www.rosewind.org/

Last Updated:9/6/2008

Visitors Accepted

Visitor Process: Please email well ahead of time. Getting to know if we'd be a good fit for you takes time, and the infrequent resales can go quickly, so you want to already know enough to make an informed choice. You can email questions. When you do visit, you can have a walk around, see the "common house" (community hall), and ask more questions in person. We have no guest room, but the Olympic Hostel at Fort Worden is a good deal on a budget; there are also nice bed and breakfast homes in town. www.ptguide.com has details.

Population Adult Members: 40 Child Members: 10 (plus three young-adults 19-22) Non-member Residents: 6 (housemates and renters) Open to new adults: Yes Open to new children: Yes Gender Balance: 45% M 55% F Open to which gender(s): All genders welcome Ethnic Diversity: 4% identify as 'people of color' ((Adopted Chinese.) Ethnic diversity is welcome.) Age Focus: No Focus Age Restrictions: No	Government Decision Making: By consensus Identified Leader: No Leadership Core Group: No (An elected steering committee coordinates meeting agendas and current issues, but decision making remains with the membership.)	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Labor Contribution: Expected (community participation is expected, with variations among individuals.) Join Fee: Yes (Purchase of a resale home, when available.) Regular Fees: Yes (Annual assessments are about $1000 a year. We do a lot of our upkeep work ourselves.)
Land and Buildings Small Town (Small town of 8000, with a fairly urban sort of population. Feels somewhat like a college town.) Area: 9 acres (3.6 hectares) (Half is in home sites, half in commons.) Land Owned By: Other (Indivs own homesites, group owns commons) Number of Residences: 23 (All different sizes, styles. 750-2800sqft) Cohousing: Yes	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% (Abundant local and organic produce is avail at Food Co-op and Farmer's Mkt) Share Community Meals: 2-5 times/week (Weekly: potluck + meal by 1-4 cooks + TGIF snack gathering; monthly brunch, sundry other food sharings.) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual (Community meals accomodate a variety of styles.) Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (All meals have vegetarian option. Pref for local or organic meats if used.) Alcohol Use: Used occasionally (wine or beer in moderation, by some.) Tobacco Use: Seldom used (Almost nobody smokes; common spaces are smoke free)	Social Factors Open to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender members: Yes Shared Spiritual Path: No Which Spiritual Path(s): (Incl Quaker, pagan, UU, Jewish, other choices, incl none.) Educational Style(s): Other (some home school, some attend public or private schools)

Cohousing Details

Cohousing Status:

Completed

Year Completed:

2002

Number of Units:

Square Feet in Common House:

2800

Architect:

None.

Developer:

Self-developed.

Commercial Lender:

None.

Click an image to see it full size.

Become an Editor Current editor(s): lynnnadeau

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