FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michelle Keiserman
Email: snvcohousing@ gmail.com
Tel: 725-333-2221
“Cohousing is about living the good life while using less of the earth’s resources, and having a good time doing it.” – Kathryn McCamant, author and architect
February 6, 2018
Henderson, NV: Local residents are starting a cohousing neighborhood, the first in the state of Nevada. A motivated group of individuals are bringing cohousing to Southern Nevada with a series of public presentations to educate Las Vegans on why this approach to housing has caught on already in 35 states and the District of Columbia (www.cohousing.org).
Cohousing neighborhoods combine private homes with extensive community facilities to create some of the most socially and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods being built in North America in the 21st Century. The presentations will provide an overview of the cohousing movement, showing examples of communities around the country, focusing especially on urban first-in-the-state communities like the one envisioned for Henderson. In addition, two members of SNV Cohousing will preview the “Aging Successfully” workshop series to be offered later this year, in which cohousing is one prominent option of the many available to Americans planning the last 1/3 of their lives.
What are cohousing neighborhoods?
The title for a recent New York Times article said it best: “There’s Community and Consensus. But It’s No Commune.” https://nyti.ms/2FXWH6J
Cohousing neighborhoods are composed of privately-owned homes clustered around shared open space and common facilities to a create strong sense of community where neighbors know each other. A common house typically includes a dining room, kitchen, workshop space, kid area, guest rooms and lounge; it is the heart of the neighborhood for community dinners and a variety of activities. Cars are kept to the exterior of the site making the neighborhood pedestrian-friendly and safe for kids. Future residents are involved in the design and development so that it reflects their needs and priorities, creating a custom neighborhood.
The members of SNV Cohousing recently traveled to Portland, OR to tour several cohousing communities and talk with their members about navigating the challenges associated with realizing this vision. When asked why she co-founded Southern Nevada Cohousing LLC two years ago, Kim Henry responded, “I loved the concept of cohousing; knowing my neighbors but having the privacy of my own home. Also, I like the idea of being in charge of my own destiny – which includes where I live and who I live around.”
Environmental sustainability is a core value in these neighborhoods with smaller homes, green building attributes and renewable energy systems made possible by combined efforts and shared resources. On-site activities and companionship enable residents to socialize close to home, and cohousing communities are often located within existing neighborhoods, helping to decrease the need to drive everywhere. Overall this housing model brings social, environmental and economic benefits for a more sustainable lifestyle. In fact, SNV Cohousing has identified land on Water Street in downtown Henderson as a location that would enable us to create a community with a neighborhood feel.
The public presentations will be held on
FEBRUARY 21 – SUMMERLIN LIBRARY @ 6:30PM
MARCH 15 – SAHARA WEST LIBRARY @ 6:30PM
APRIL 8 – PUBLIC WORKS COFFEE BAR MEETING ROOM @ NOON (314 S. Water Street, Henderson)
For more information on cohousing see www.snvcohousing.com or email us snvcohousing@gmail.com
“By working together, residents find they can accomplish much more than they can individually, whether that is energy efficient heating systems and solar panels, or a large community garden. After move-in, residents find they drive much less because more of their day-to-day social life is walkable. Parents don’t need to organize play dates. Community meals and food co-op deliveries reduce daily shopping needs. It’s easy to live more sustainably in a community.” -Kathryn McCamant
BOOKS PUBLISHED
Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities, Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett. 2011.
Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach To Housing Ourselves, Kathryn McCamant, Charles Durrett, and Ellen Hertzman (2004, Ten Speed Press).
Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Living Independently – The Handbook, Charles Durrett (2012, New Society Publishers).
RECENT AWARDS INCLUDE
2011 – Governor’s Award for Environmental and Economic Leadership for Wolf Creek Lodge, a 30-unit senior cohousing community located in Grass Valley, CA. www.wolfcreeklodge.org
2010 – Gold Nuggett Award for Best Affordable Housing under 30 DU per acre for Petaluma Avenue Homes in Sebastopol, California and designed by McCamant & Durrett Architects.
2009 – Green Architect Award of The Sierra Nevada Deep Ecology Institute was awarded to McCamant & Durrett Architects. According to the Institute, “M & D’s dedication to sustainable building practices
and cohousing has been an inspiration worldwide, and the local community has benefited greatly from their commitment to providing this service locally.”