Tag: senior cohousing

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

Volunteer Paul Wehrwein featured in StarTribune “Inspired” section.

Committee and member of Twin Cities Metro Senior Cohousing, a cohousing group in formation, was recently featured in the StarTribune’s Inspired section.

Paul Wehrwein, a volunteer on Twin Cities Cohousing Network’s Events Committee and member of Twin Cities Metro Senior Cohousing, a cohousing group in formation, was recently featured on June 10, 2022 in the StarTribune’s Inspired section. Reporter Gail Rosenblum interviewed Wehrwein about his dreams for cohousing, where cohousing exists now, and how the cohousing movement started.

Read the full article.

New cohousing groups are forming!

East Metro Area

Photo showing a view of the Como Park fire circle with seating in a grassy area with picnic tables nearby, St. Paul, MN.
Como Park fire ring area, St. Paul, MN.

Paul Wehrwein, an cohousing enthusiast who has volunteered with Twin Cities Cohousing Network for a number of years on the Events Circle, is starting the process of creating a senior cohousing community (50+) in the west metro area. Paul and his partner have begun by inviting those people who might be interested in learning about each other to gather once a month with the goal of having fun socializing while getting to know each other and and sharing their ideals for what a senior cohousing community could be. Informal gatherings will be held rain or shine at the Como Park fire rings on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 P.M. Download the flyer for details and contact information for Paul.

Duluth area

A wintry view of the Duluth, MN high bridge lighted during evening and viewed from the top of a near hill, with fog on Lake Superior, lights and traffic in the foreground.
Photo by Nemuel Sereti on Unsplash

Although Duluth is beyond the Twin Cities metropolitan borders, The Duluth area has a number of people interested in cohousing and Twin Cities Cohousing Network is happy to help inform our viewers about them.

Lee Pedersen, an active cohousing organizer has held MeetUp meetings in Duluth for a couple of years and has generated a number of regulars. According to Lee, a group seeking to create an intergenerational cohousing community has recently split off and is now hoping to purchase land.

Lee, who is specifically interested in senior cohousing, is now recruiting individuals who would prefer a senior-focused cohousing community that will help seniors thrive as they age in community with each other. Her new initiative is called Active Adult Cohousing for the Northland. Click the link to Lee’s information on Cohousing USA to see what she envisions and to find her contact information.

Visit to Oakcreek Community senior cohousing in Oklahoma

A TCCN board member and her partner visit a senior cohousing community in a midwestern college town. Take a look at their photos and observations.

Text and photos by Lynn Englund

My partner and I were fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Oakcreek Community in Stillwater, Oklahoma this spring. Oakcreek is a senior cohousing community not far from Oklahoma State University.

interior view of common house with vaulted ceiling and fireplace
We arrived in the middle of the afternoon, and soon were talking with residents as they came and went through the common house.

group of chairs in Oakcreek common house

After we had settled into one of the three lovely guest rooms, a resident offered us a tour of the grounds and explained that the community is made up of three “pods” of eight houses each. The pods are clustered around the common house.

several houses and a walking path

Homes come in four sizes, ranging from 702 square feet to 1190 square feet. Their arrangement is specific to cohousing. One of each design is laid out in a 4-unit, townhome-style block which faces another similar unit of four homes across a gently curving sidewalk. Our guide stated that by doing this, they intentionally located the facing units much closer than typical construction of units across a roadway, making it easy for people to talk to each other from their front steps.

Bright colors set off each unit from its neighbor. The garages and parking areas were to the side, easily accessible by all. Oakcreek is situated on more than 7 acres of land in a residential area. The common yard has a park-like feel with shade trees, large areas of lawn, wildflowers and garden plots. Blooming shrubs and flowers landscape the small front yards.

wildflower field at Oakcreek cohousing
After returning from a tour of the Oklahoma State campus given by a resident who is a retired faculty member (who discovered common interests and connections with my partner), we were invited to join “happy hour” at 5:00 in the common house. A handful of residents gathered with a beverage of choice around a table to catch up with each other and share news.

table and chairs in common house at Oakcreek
Since there was no common meal that night, we dined out, then returned to our comfortable room. In the morning, I put our sheets and towels in the washer in the common house and slipped a note of thanks with the small fee for lodging into the envelope that had been left for us.

There do happen to be units for sale, and if you’re curious, feel free to check out their community’s website for details.

outdoor labyrinth at Oakcreek cohousing