FAQs

  • What is cohousing? Cohousing is an intentional community of private homes clustered around shared space. Each attached or single family home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. Shared spaces typically feature a common house, which may include a large kitchen and dining area, laundry, and recreational spaces (from Cohousing – Wikipedia). Here is a link to a PBS video that describes cohousing.
  • What is Winslow Cohousing?
    Winslow Cohousing is the second cohousing project to be completed in the United States (1992!) starting from scratch. It is the first to be designed and developed by the owner-residents who moved in as soon as construction finished. Winslow Cohousing is multi-family housing of compact and efficient living units, leaving as much open space as possible for natural areas, gardens, and recreation. All our homes, ranging in size from studio to four-bedroom, are self-sufficient. Each has a living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom area. The “Carriage House” has apartment-style homes (i.e. “flats,” all on one floor) and our three handicap-accessible units are on the first floor of this building.
  • How many homes are there at Winslow Cohousing?
    We have 30 homes: ten duplex buildings with 20 two-to-four bedroom homes, one apartment-style building (the “carriage house”) with six flats, and one townhouse of four homes. Sizes range from a 518 square foot studio apartment to a 1500 square foot remodeled 3-bedroom home.There are also nine garages in the basement of the carriage house which are individually leased (independently of the home) and used for second-car parking and storage.
  • How many people live here?
    There are about 50 adults and 20 children who live here at Winslow Cohousing. Our residents currently range in age from under 2 years to over 80 years.
  • How big is your common house?
    The common house is a 5000-square foot building on two floors. The top floor mainly contains our dining room/meeting room space, and our large kitchen. The bottom floor, with exterior access to the hillside, contains our laundry room, guest room, and rec room.
  • How much land do you have?
    Our property totals just over 5 acres. Over an acre of dense forest is protected in a land trust, and over an acre is dedicated to our community garden.
  • What were some of the significant dates in your development process?
    Our first general meeting was held February 11, 1989; construction began on May 10, 1991; the move in process began in earnest April 1, 1992.
  • What is involved in purchasing a home in this community?
    Purchase prices for homes are established by the seller of the shares allocated to a unit. As with all market rate housing, prices depend on unit size, location, and custom amenities. To ensure that new members understand who and what we are, our membership application and joining process must be completed before the community will consent to the transfer of shares to a new member. We have no selection process other than a desire to participate in our community.
  • What kind of participation is expected of residents?
    We have general community meetings for business, alternating between the second Saturday and second Sunday of most months. We make decisions by consensus and rotate meeting facilitation through the group. We are self-managed for most tasks and work several hours a month in one of five clusters: Administration, Process & Communication, Grounds, Maintenance, and Common Facilities. In addition, everyone is expected to take a turn on a rotational basis in picking up and cleaning the common house on a weekend morning. Since we are a cooperative housing corporation, we also have a board of trustees that meets regularly and on which every member is encouraged to take a turn. Our Board of Trustees acts to preserve the assets of the community and to represent our cooperative association in legal and contractual matters.
  • How often are your common meals?
    Community meals are offered five nights a week: Sunday through Thursday. Participation is optional and on a scheduled basis, but all who wish to take part in the meals system take turns either cooking or cleaning. A typical meal costs approximately $3.50 per serving, though meals have ranged in price from under a dollar for a low-budget meal to over $7 for an elaborate feast.
  • What is the form of ownership of these homes?
    We are organized as a Cooperative Corporation. Members own shares in the corporation and have a proprietary lease for a specific home. Besides a home, you also have a share in ownership of the Common House, the grounds, and other common facilities. The IRS recognizes the ownership of shares in a housing cooperative as being equivalent to ownership of a private home for the purposes of tax deductions on mortgage interest.
  • Can anyone come to visit and learn more about Winslow Cohousing?
    We are open to visitors when a tour has been specifically arranged. To protect the privacy of our residents, we also try to combine people’s visits on a tour; please email Lori or call Charlotte Aucutt at (206) 842-3125 or to schedule a tour. Here are directions from Seattle.
  • Are there special considerations for media visits?
    Members of the media who wish to visit should make special arrangements by emailing Lori or calling Charlotte at (206) 842-3125 as much in advance as possible.
  • Have there been any articles written about Winslow Cohousing?
    Yes, many over the years, including the cover of Time magazine. One of the early ones is available on-line from the Context Institute: Winslow Cohousing: A Self Portrait. Here is an article from Communities Magazine Issue #106 titled “Winslow Cohousing – The First 10 Years.”