We enjoy hearing from folks throughout the year who share our interest in the cohousing lifestyle. If you’d like to learn more about our community, check out these options for connecting with CoHo.

Visit Our Website (cohoecovillage.org)

There’s lots of info about our community on our website. Here are some highlights:

Vision & Values — Read our Vision & Values (and Purpose Statement) for a good overall perspective on CoHo Ecovillage. This is a “living document” that we use on an ongoing basis to guide community activities, goals, and decisions; it’s not a dusty document birthed out of a one-time inspirational exercise and long forgotten.

Blog — Glimpses of community life are shared via photos and short stories. The blog was launched in January 2010.

Newsletters (2006-2008) — Our 34 newsletters cover some of the years prior to move-in, so they offer more of a historical perspective on CoHo’s development, but many topics are still very relevant. It’s fascinating to see how our vision became reality.

Issue 11 (May 2006) (Saying YES to Cohousing–factors to consider)

Issue 23 (July 2006) (The Path To CoHo–how members decided to join)

Visitor Membership Options — This section provides info and paperwork for folks interested in an ongoing connection with CoHo as Friends of CoHo, Associate Members, Renters or Owner Members.

Visit CoHo on a Public Tour

Public Tours are held monthly on the same days as our work parties. Spend an hour or two with us and see first-hand why we enjoy living in an eco-friendly community.

Arrange a Private Tour of CoHo

Can’t visit on Public Tour dates? Have a special interest and want a more personalized intro to CoHo? Want to bring a group to visit CoHo? Contact us at cohocontact@cohoecovillage.org for a private tour. If you want a bigger dose of community life when you visit, ask about future activities/meetings/meals and schedule a tour so you can take part. Most events are open to visitors.

Join CoHo Public Google Group and Visit CoHo Facebook Page

Join our public Google Group (either before or after a tour) or visit our Facebook page to get updates on tours, activities, community events, units for rent/sale, etc. If you’d like to attend a CoHo event contact us at cohocontact@cohoecovillage.org. Your message goes to our Neighbors Team, a group of very neighborly folks who will welcome you and introduce you to other CoHo members.

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If exploring the above options has met your needs, that’s great. If you’re looking for more connection with our community, read on….

If You’re Looking For More Connection, What’s Next???

You visited our website. You visited CoHo (and maybe attended some events). You joined CoHoPublic or viewed our Facebook page. You are not renting or buying a unit (at least not now, maybe not ever). Does that mean your connection with CoHo is over?

The good news is there are more options for connecting with CoHo…

…even if you want to buy a unit but the right unit/price/location isn’t available

…even if you want to rent a unit but the right unit/price/location isn’t available

…even if the timing isn’t right for you to rent/buy a unit at CoHo

…even if you don’t want to live at CoHo (now or in the future)

…even if you just want an informal social connection with the community

…even if you want a closer connection with the community, but can’t figure out how that could happen if you don’t live there.

Talk With a CoHo Member to Explore Possibilities

Our First Responder, Leela, is a good choice. Leela can be reached at cohocontact {at} cohoecovillage.org. Our Tour Guides can also be contacted. They can fill you in on how you can take steps to create ongoing connections by becoming a Friend of CoHo or an Associate Member. Information on these programs is posted in the Membership Options section of our website.

Become A Friend of CoHo

Friends of CoHo are people who want to support and have social contact with our community but for various reasons are not living on site. Friends have specific rights and responsibilities. They have a buddy to help them get to know the community. Our Friends attend social activities, take part in our meal program, communicate via our CoHoChat email list, and have access to our internal calendar and bios/photos. Friends pay a one-time application fee, annual dues, and an annual fee to participate in the meal program.

Become An Associate Member

The Associate Members program is for nonresidents who want a deeper level of connection and commitment than Friends of CoHo. Associate Members are engaged with CoHo Ecovillage on an ongoing basis, have defined responsibilities and rights, and contribute time, energy and money. The rights and responsibilities for Associate Members strongly parallel those for Unit Owners; the major difference is that Associate Members don’t live on site. In addition to the benefits enjoyed by Friends of CoHo, Associate Members attend meetings, serve on teams, and contribute time/energy through our Workshare program. They pay a one-time application fee, and monthly dues.

Bottom line…you don’t have to live at CoHo to be a part of our community. If you have the interest, please don’t wait on the sidelines.

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Final FYI to Future Prospective Unit Owners

For some of you, buying a unit at CoHo is your goal. Here are some tips to help you make decisions about your next steps.

Prospective owners making an offer to purchase a specific unit go through the same membership process that all current owners completed prior to purchasing a unit. That process takes time so the prospective owner has a good understanding of community life and so community members have an opportunity to meet them. The final step in joining is a Clearness Committee so the prospective buyer is clear this is a good choice for them.

Resales are also more challenging because availability and turnaround time are unpredictable. If a unit becomes available, and a prospective buyer is already active in the community as a Friend of CoHo or an Associate Member, that’s a plus for the seller, the buyer, and the community. (Our first two resales went to folks who had already completed our membership process. Our most recent resale went to a renter.)

Just to be clear…resales don’t automatically go to Friends or Associate Members (though that could be more likely) and Affiliates don’t have to plan to buy a unit.