Direction Vancouver Cohousing where the very kind and well-informed Granny Cruise was waiting for us. She has lived there for ten years and occupies a small, charming, very well-appointed studio. She also bought a one-bedroom condo that she rents out or uses when her family visits. It's not uncommon in Cohousing to see people own more than one property, sometimes splitting their time between one Cohousing and another. There is a brotherhood among Cohousing communities in British Columbia, showing that sharing happens on different scales when you're a true cohabitant.
I fell in love with Vancouver Cohousing, which doesn't look like much from the outside. But when you step inside, it feels like you're discovering a whole universe... The exteriors are tastefully landscaped and the interior design offers different shared spaces.
The story began ten years ago with 10 ‘burning souls’[1]on board; a year after the various setup efforts began, 15 more had joined. Today, 50% of the founders still live there. Granny would say they left for various reasons: one couple, whose husband wasn’t very sociable, found it difficult to live there; others ultimately didn’t feel much of a connection with the people and, after a while, wanted to leave. That’s life, I guess!
City regulations in this neighborhood only allowed for the construction of three stories. There are a total of 31 units, housing 47 adults and 22 children, six of whom were born there. The bathrooms have heated floors, which means that in a 3 ½ room unit, it's sometimes enough to heat the entire condo.
The association's life is well organized. We use the Signal app for communication, and email groups are used for organizing events.
We are applying consensus. For major decisions, it will be one vote per condo. For others, the resident adults will be invited to participate in the vote. Communal meals are very popular: 3 to 4 times a week. Those who cook will not have to clean, and their names will be recorded in an Excel file. There are several committees: finance/legal, cleaning, stratacouncil[2], maintenance, laundry room, social, conflict, security, etc. Assemblies bringing together all residents take place approximately every five weeks; between these meetings, a committee will meet informally to address various topics, the LIC (living in community).
The room for creativity (crafts) is small but very pretty. The one for well-being is simply fabulous. The children have a comfortable play area, and a large room in the basement is reserved for cycling. Everyone has a parking space. The laundry room is large; moreover, most residents, except those occupying the large condos, do not have their own washer-dryer. This is an ecological choice, but also a social one: people enjoy meeting there. As there are musicians among the residents, a trio performs every Sunday for the enjoyment of many...
Rooftop gardens have been set up, each occupant takes what they can, and it's free. There are also socializing areas with breathtaking mountain views.
This life at Vancouver Cohousing offers the best of both worlds: the urban one, where you can access everything a city has to offer, and another with a certain countryside charm that's reminiscent of rural living. Everyone I met expressed their joy in living here. It's a successful Cohabitat model.
[1] In the context of cohousing, «burning souls» or "ardent souls" refers to the passionate and visionary founders or key members who are the creators of a new community, often developed over several years of planning and effort.
[2] A stratacouncil Your homeowners' association, is an elected body of owners responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of a strata corporation in British Columbia, acting under the StrataPropertyAct.