Category: Events

Picnic In-person on July 20th

Photo by Nur Tok

FREE to attend, Sun. July 20, 2025

Bring your favorite picnic foods, beverages and utensils for a low-waste event. Share food and beverages with others if you wish. Register separately for each location so that we can contact you in case of cancelation due to weather.

Lincoln Park, Duluth
11:00-2:30 — REGISTER

Lincoln Park, outdoor playground pavilion. Head up Lincoln Park Drive from the intersection of 25th Ave West and West 3rd street.
Look for the picnic tables under the shelter. Park in the small parking lot or on the street. Map for Lincoln Park Playground Shelter

Read about the Park on Duluth’s Parks and Recreation site

Lincoln Park Pavilion. Photo Duluth Parks and Recreation.

Como Park, St. Paul
3:00-6:00 PM — REGISTER

Look for TCCN’s banner at the picnic area on the west side of the park located at 1300 Midway Parkway, east of Hamline Avenue, near the mini golf course and children’s playground. Bathrooms are located near the picnic shelter. Picnic parking is first come first serve. Map of west picnic shelter location.

Picnic shelter at Como Park's west picnic grounds
Como Park picnic shelter, west picnic grounds. St. Paul, MN.

April 19: Seniors in Cohousing

Join us April 19 from 10:00-11:30 AM to discover how senior cohousing differs from other senior housing options.

“Ours will not be our parents’ aging. It will be different— vibrant, socially revolutionary, and fun.” 

So dreamed the founders of Wolf Creek Lodge, a senior cohousing community in Grass Valley, CA, thriving since 2012.

What differentiates senior cohousing from other kinds of senior living?  Does it exist in Minnesota?  How does it work? Who might like it and who might not?

Discover what senior cohousing has to offer by registering below. With the help of brief video clips shown during the event, Twin Cities Cohousing Network (TCCN) will be your guide for questions and conversation on this topic.

Seniors in Cohousing
Sat, April 19, 2025
10:00-11:30 CDT
Free and open to all

REgister

Registration is required to receive our Zoom meeting link.
Limit: 100 participants.

Four seniors sitting at a picnic table with fresh timatoes and lettuces they have harvested.
Photo by Kampus Production

Established in 1991 as a charitable organization, TCCN Cohousing Network works to educate Minnesotans about cohousing and connect people who are interested in it. 

National Cohousing Week 2025

April 28 – May 4

Get a feel for a variety of cohousing communities by attending in-person and virtual local and national cohousing open house events the week of April 28.

✅ Check the map for cohousing week events anywhere in the U.S. at cohousing.org

✅ Consider registering for one or more regional cohousing updates, each event includes a discussion on a topic of importance for cohousing.

CohoUS Regional Update
Midwest Spotlight + Cohousing Adjacent Models

Hear regional updates from Midwest and West communities, then dive into a discussion on adjacent housing models and affordability.

Features Becca Brackett, volunteer with TCCN and Cedar Cohousing, LLC. in Minneapolis, MN.

Tuesday, April 29, 3:00-4:30 PM.
Registration is required to attend this virtual event.

Register

✅ Drop in to chat with TCCN volunteers during our virtual cohousing open house event. Learn about TCCN and talk informally about cohousing in Minnesota in these times.

Twin Cities Cohousing Network Virtual Open House

Saturday, May 4, 1-3 pm
No need to register. Use the link below to drop in.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85471068592

✅ Let TCCN publicize your local open house or virtual tour in TCCN New

  1. Create an in-person or virtual event to inform people about your cohousing community, or plans to create one, anywhere within TCCN’s service area.
  2. Email TCCN News editor Becca Brackett by April 10 (Becca@tccoho.org ) with details for your date, time, location, and how to register for your event to include it in the April edition of TCCN News.
  3. If you have a CohoUS membership, you can upload your event to CohoUS to make it visible on their site. (See if you qualify to register through TCCN)
  4. Also let Becca know if you are available to provide an update during TCCN’s next event, Seniors in Cohousing on April 19 on Zoom from 10-11:30 AM.
Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing, Seattle, WA, 2019 open house. Photo credit: Lynn Englund

Feb. 22 – Children in Cohousing

What makes childhood and parenthood easier and more fun? How about other kids and parents? That’s one idea behind this free online event.

Saturday
February 22, 2025
9:30-11:00 AM

Registration is required for you to receive a Zoom meeting link.
Limit: 100 participants.

Register
Image shows a boy playing with a train set on the floor with toys including many multi-colored balls. There are other children and and adult in the background engaged in other activities, similar to what might be found in a cohousing community.
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Cohousing has been described as a return to village living. It is community designed for connection, with private homes surrounded by shared spaces. Cohousing communities are usually initiated, financed and managed by the residents themselves. Cohousers typically share periodic meals in a “common house.” While some cohousing communities are senior focused, most are multi-generational. What would be advantageous for kids and parents in such an environment? What would be challenging? What might senior members have to gain or lose?

With the help of some video clips, TCCN will be your guide for your questions and conversation on this topic. Also, a couple local groups that aspire to become cohousing communities or cooperatives will provide updates on their status and activities. The basics of what is cohousing will be provided.

A group of middlel-school aged children in a tight group smiling and taking a selfie together.
Photo by Norma Mortenson
A group of preschool-age children lying on the floor with their heads toward the center showing smiling faces.
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Picnic July 20 in St. Paul or Duluth

Families, friends, and children are welcome! Come early to play at the park, then socialize in-person with others interested in learning about the characteristics of living in a cohousing community and what it takes to create one.

Bring your favorite picnic foods, beverages and utensils for a low-waste event. Share food and beverages with others, if you wish. Register separately for each location so that we can contact you in case of cancelling due to weather.

FREE to attend, Sat. July 20, 2024

Como Park, St. Paul
10:30 AM to 1:00 PM — REGISTER

Look for TCCN’s banner at the picnic area on the west side of the park located at 1300 Midway Parkway, east of Hamline Avenue, near the mini golf course and children’s playground. Bathrooms are located near the picnic shelter. Picnic parking is first come first serve. Map of west picnic shelter location.

Shelter photo by St. Paul Parks and Recreation

Memorial Park, Duluth
4:30 to 8:30 PM — REGISTER

Look for the picnic tables under the shelter. Park in the small parking lot or on the street.
Map to Memorial Park location.

Google maps image

A child making a giant bubble at the Como Park picnic shelter at a previous picnic.

Dialogue with Alan O’Hashi on Cohousing

For those drawn to intentional community and cohousing, they will delight in viewing Alan O’Hashi at 7:00 p.m on May 8, 2024, on Zoom. 

A Meet the Professionals speaker event

O’Hashi is a newspaper journalist turned documentary filmmaker, screenwriter, author, nonprofit leader and activist. He works with groups and organizations to help them tell their stories.  For this event, Alan will speak from his experience as a board member of the US Cohousing Association and his time living in Silver Sage Village, a cohousing senior community in Boulder, CO. There will be time for Q and A.

Meet the Professionals:
Alan O’Hashi

Wednesday, May 8, 2024
7:00 to 8:30 PM on Zoom

Register for zoom

Registration is required to receive a Zoom link. Limit: 100 participants.

Register for hybrid group zoom

Group Zoom viewing at Unity Church Unitarian in St. Paul, space is limited. 

Alan O’Hashi
  • Cultural competency training and facilitation
  • Cohousing Community Process Consultant
  • Positions held: Cohousing USA Board of Directors; previously Boulder Planning Board, former Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity St Vrain Valley – Longmont, Colorado.

Alan’s presentation will include material from this book. It is available for purchase at Fellowship for Intentional Community and other booksellers.

Book cover for "True Stories of an Aging do-Gooder" by Alan O'Hashi. Text over an image of rolling green hills.

Feb. 21 Listening Session

Twin Cities Cohousing Network has big ideas for 2024. Please join us Wednesday, Feb. 21 on Zoom event for a special listening session. We want to hear to your feedback about ideas we are considering for 2024 and your suggestions for how to get cohousing communities built!

Twin Cities Cohousing Network has big ideas for 2024.

Wednesday, February 21
7:00 to 8:30 PM

Register
Ethnic man wearing a yellow shirt is holding a paper cup to his ear. The cup has a string attached to the bottom of the cup. The string is taut and the man is listening very hard.

Registration is required to receive your Zoom link

The volunteers who organize and run Twin Cities Cohousing Network are seeking your input on how TCCN can best assist groups aspiring to build new cohousing communities. Here are two new ideas we are considering:

The first is expanding our scope from the Twin Cities to all of Minnesota. Get a peek at our proposed new name and let us know if you think this change is a good idea and how we should start connecting with others across the state.

Second, would small in-person discussion circles with friends, and friends of friends, be more likely to build energy for cohousing than large Zoom events? Learn about a proposed program that could take place among small groups of people located anywhere in Minnesota. Provide your feedback to help it succeed.

There will be small group discussions, and your questions and will be addressed. And please bring your ideas for future topics!”

Woman of color in a room with many books is listening to headphones while looking at computer screen.

Top 10 Reasons to Live in Cohousing

Why do people want to live in cohousing? Karen Gimnig has experienced cohousing as a resident and is professional facilitator who support groups forming and living in cohousing . She is also an author, making her October 11th presentation one you won’t want to miss.

Meet the Professionals:
Karen Gimnig

Karen Gimnig is a relationship coach with a particular focus on group process and community.  She has lived in cohousing communities in Georgia and Oregon. In her role as a professional facilitator, she offers classes and workshops to support cohousing groups across the country as they build and learn to live together in cohousing. Karen worked for several years for the Cohousing Association of the US. In addition, she co-authored The Cooperative Culture Handbook with Yana Ludwig, making many of the concepts and skills she teaches in her classes and workshops available in book form. Karen currently lives in Anacortes WA with her husband Jamie. They enjoy hiking and sailing through all the beauty of the Puget Sound.

Meet the Professionals:
Karen Gimnig

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023
7:00 to 8:30 PM on Zoom

Register

Registration is required to receive a Zoom link. Limit: 100 participants.

Head shot of featured event speaker Karen Gimnig, a middle aged woman with short dark hair and glasses wearing a black shirt standing in front of dark green leafy bushes.
Karen Gimnig
(Photo used by permission)

Learn more about Karen Gimnig.

Picnic in the Park

Socialize in-person with others interested in cohousing at TCCN’s annual picnic held in St. Paul, MN.

FREE to attend
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Como Park picnic shelter
6:00-8:00 PM

Image shows a gathering of people at a hexagonal gazebo picnic shelter at Como Park near trees, grass, picnic tables and grills.
Shelter photo by St. Paul Parks and Recreation

Bring your favorite picnic foods, beverages and utensils for a picnic with Twin Cities Cohousing Network volunteers and other cohousing supporters and share in an evening of connection and fun at a quaint open-sided picnic shelter in St. Paul’s Como Park. (Map of west picnic shelter location.)

Look for TCCN’s banner at the picnic area on the west side of the park located at 1300 Midway Parkway, east of Hamline Avenue, near the mini golf course and children’s playground. Bathrooms are located near the picnic shelter. Picnic parking is first come first serve.

Families, friends, and children welcome! Meet and greet others with an interest in building and living in cohousing communities in Minnesota.

Register

So we know to expect you and can alert you in case of inclement weather.

Event Schedule

5:30 — Begin to gather at picnic shelter #50. Bring your own food, beverage, and utensils. Water will be available. (Share food items with others if you feel comfortable.)

6:00 — Picnicking and conversation. Discuss existing cohousing and efforts to start new cohousing communities.

8:00 — Clean up.

A child making a giant bubble at the Como Park picnic shelter 2021 event.

Rental costs for the picnic shelter were provided by our supporters. Twin Cities Cohousing Network is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.

The Need for Permanent Affordability: Community Land Trusts & Cohousing

Greg Rosenberg’s experience creating cohousing communities and his extensive knowledge of community land trusts (CLTs) offers an exciting approach to creating cohousing communities with permanently affordable housing units.

Meet the Professionals: Greg Rosenberg

Rosenberg discussed some of the economic justice challenges that come with building desirable places to live, and some of the methods to develop mixed-income cohousing. Cohousing, when not price-controlled, can easily become expensive to the point of being exclusionary. This session will highlight the need for price restrictions using resale formulas (eg. through a community land trust (CLT)) to ensure ongoing affordability, and discuss the steps to subsidize home prices and keep them affordable. Two contrasting examples of mixed-income cohousing in Madison will be featured: Troy Gardens (a project of Madison Area CLT) and Linden Cohousing.


Meet the Professionals: Greg Rosenberg

“The Need for Permanent Affordability: Community Land Trusts and Cohousing”

View on YouTube

Recorded on May 10, 2023 via Zoom.

Greg Rosenberg
(photo used by permission)

Learn more about Greg at Rosenberg and Associates.

TCCN’s publicity partner for this event is:

Logo with stylized blue "M" and the words, "Minnesota Community Land Trust Coalition. A permanent solution for affordable housing."

For more information on Minnesota’s 13 Community Land Trust organizations go to mncltc.org.

What’s up with cohousing in Minnesota?

The Feb. 8 event features updates from groups working to create cohousing communities in Minnesota. Small breakout groups after the updates will allow viewers time to ask questions and engage with each other and our presenters.

Twin Cities Cohousing Network’s next virtual event features updates from groups working to create cohousing communities in Minnesota. Smaller breakout groups after brief group updates will allow views time to ask questions and engage with each other and our presenters. Topics that we have invited our speakers to address include: the ups and downs of forming a core group, working to agree on a common vision, the challenges of finding a suitable site, working with cohousing professionals and addressing challenges of affordability.

Wednesday, February 8, 2023
7:00-8:30 PM via Zoom.
Register in advance to receive your zoom link.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Minnesota outline provided by Suncatcherstudio.com

Fall work party and shared meal at Monterey Cohousing Community

Front of Monterey Cohousing Community building during fall with colorful leaves and grasses in the yard.
Monterey Cohousing
St. Louis Park, MN.
Photo by Rick Gravrok.

More than 20 volunteers completed a wide variety of repairs and other fall projects at Monterey Cohousing Community (MoCoCo) in St. Louis Park on Saturday, October 22. Volunteers included residents of MoCoCo, supporters of Twin Cities Cohousing Network (TCCN), and members of Cedar Cohousing, a group working to create a new cohousing community in the Twin Cities area.

After a deep clean of the kitchen, which was one of the work tasks to be completed, a shared vegetarian meal was organized by Becca Brackett (Cedar Cohousing, TCCN secretary) and cooked with the help of volunteers from MoCoCo and TCCN as other volunteers completed work tasks outdoors.

Two men kneeling on a sidewalk with tools on the ground around them adjusting a latch on a fence post.
Paul Wehrwein (TCCN volunteer) and Fred Olson repairing a gate latch and post. Photo by Rick Gravrok.
A group of four adults and one child sitting at a round table enjoying a shared meal cooked by volunteers after outdoor work tasks were completed.
Enjoying a shared meal in Monterey Cohousing Community’s dining room. On the left are Jon Haftek, his partner and child, MoCoCo resident Ellen Thomas in back, and Becca Brackett of Cedar Cohousing group on the right. Photo by Rick Gravrok.

Ann Zabaldo event

Don’t miss hearing from national cohousing professional and enthusiast Ann Zabaldo at TCCN’s next Meet the Professionals event on Zoom. Zabaldo’s tireless efforts and successes are sure to inspire those of us envisioning more Minnesota cohousing communities!

Meet the Professionals

Hear from national cohousing professional and enthusiast Ann Zabaldo at TCCN’s Meet the Professionals event. Zabaldo’s tireless efforts and successes are sure to inspire those of us envisioning more Minnesota cohousing communities!

“Everyone living next to someone who cares about them” — My role in creating cohousing, working with a developer, and helping cohousing in the mid-Atlantic states

View this presentation on TCCN’s YouTube Channel

Ann Zabaldo
Wed. Oct. 12, 2022
7:00 – 8:30 PM Central

Image of Ann Zabaldo wearing green glasses and smiling brightly.
Ann Zabaldo, Washington DC

Ann Zabaldo is both a pioneer volunteer and a paid professional in the cohousing movement. She specializes in outreach, education, marketing, and fueling the fires of burning souls working to start cohousing.

Ann is past-president of The Cohousing Association of the United States (CohoUS) and is a co-founder and current board member of Mid Atlantic Cohousing, a regional non-profit organization. She is a certified facilitator for McCamant & Durrett’s Senior Cohousing Study Group workshops. She is co-executive producer of “Building Sustainable Communities for Today’s Housing Market” a DVD and companion handbook created specifically for developers who are interested in entering the cohousing market niche.

Ann was on the development team for both Eastern Village Cohousing in Silver Spring, Maryland and Takoma Village Cohousing in Washington, DC where she lives with 65 adults, 15 children, seven dogs and waaaay too many cats. Currently, for Takoma Village she is serving on the Bylaws Working Group to revise the bylaws and the Resale and Rental pod (team or committee). This pod has brought in excellent buyers who are prepared to live in cohousing. Plus, more than $120,000 in donations to the community. Her description of living in cohousing? “It’s a rolling Mardi Gras.”

Twin Cities Cohousing Network is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Please consider making a donation in any amount to help us continue our Meet the Professional speaker series. Donate securely via PayPal or Donate via GiveMN. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.