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NICA Communities Directory for the Pacific Northwest
For listings in all geographical areas, including the Northwest, see directory.ic.org
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Formed: 1989
RoseWind Cohousing
Port Townsend, Washington,
United States
(Similar to a college town, w lots of art, music, liberal politics, plus boats, organic food, and mild weather)
very partial view, from Common House looking north
 RoseWind is a cohousing community within a liberal small town of 8000 on the NE corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Seattle is about 3 hours away. Our views are pastoral, yet we are minutes from everything in town, including a good food co-op, farmers' market, seasonal festivals, many music and arts activities, boating, and generally the sort of culture you'd find in a college town. The climate is moderate.
Our 24 households include all ages and many lifestyles. There's abundant music, food, social interaction, and of course the shared work of caring for our common areas. Our attractive community hall is used often, for meetings, shared meals 2-3 times a week, parties, workshops, rehearsals, slide shows, concerts, and meetings. We know our neighbors and help each other out in many ways.
Neither "mainstream" nor far-out, we do our best to learn to live more sustainably by sharing, raising organic fruits and vegetables, and individually making informed environmental choices. Organizationally, we have learned a lot in 20 years of consensus-based decision making, and have never needed to go to our fall-back voting option. The extra time it takes to decide things is outweighed by the satisfaction of finding win-win solutions.
Fully built, the way to join at this point is via resales, which are posted on our website www.rosewind.org. It is advisable to get to know us ahead of time, though, to be able to make an informed choice if a resale comes up. Check us out!
 
Website: http://www.rosewind.org/
Contact:
Lynn Nadeau
3221 Haines St
Port Townsend, Washington 98368 United States

Send an Email
Last Updated:8/19/2009
 
Visitors Accepted
Visitor Process: Please email well ahead of time. Getting to know if we'd be a good fit for you takes time, and the infrequent resales can go quickly, so you want to already know enough to make an informed choice. You can email questions. When you do visit, you can have a walk around, see the "common house" (community hall), and ask more questions in person. We have no guest room, but the Olympic Hostel at Fort Worden is a good deal on a budget; there are also nice bed and breakfast homes in town. See www.ptguide.com for details.
Population
Adult Members:
40
Child Members:
10
(plus three young-adults 19-22)
Non-member Residents:
6
(housemates and renters)
Open to new adults:
Yes
Open to new children:
Yes
Gender Balance:
45% M 55% F
Open to which gender(s):
All genders welcome
Ethnic Diversity:
4% identify as 'non-white'
Age Focus:
No Focus
Age Restrictions:
No
Government
Decision Making:
By consensus
Identified Leader:
No
Leadership Core Group:
No
(An elected steering committee coordinates meeting agendas and current issues, but decision making remains with the membership.)
Labor and Money
Financial Style:
Members have independent finances
Labor Contribution:
Expected
(community participation is expected, with variations among individuals.)
Join Fee:
Yes
(Purchase of a resale home, when available.)
Regular Fees:
Yes
(Annual assessments are about $1000 a year. We do a lot of our upkeep work ourselves.)
Land and Buildings
Small Town
(Small town of 8000, with a fairly urban sort of population. Feels somewhat like a college town.)
Area:
9 acres (3.6 hectares)
(Half is in home sites, half in commons.)
Land Owned By:
Other
(Indivs own homesites, group owns commons)
Number of Residences:
23
(All different sizes, styles. 750-2800sqft)
Cohousing:
Yes
Food, etc.
Percentage of Food Grown:
6-20%
(Abundant local and organic produce is avail at Food Co-op and Farmer's Mkt)
Share Community Meals:
2-5 times/week
(Weekly: potluck + meal by 1-4 cooks + TGIF snack gathering; monthly brunch, sundry other food sharings.)
Dietary Choice or Restrictions:
Diet is up to each individual
(Community meals accomodate a variety of styles.)
Dietary Practice:
Omnivorous
(All meals have vegetarian option. Pref for local or organic meats if used.)
Alcohol Use:
Used occasionally
(wine or beer in moderation, by some.)
Tobacco Use:
Seldom used
(Almost nobody smokes; common spaces are smoke free)
Social Factors
Open to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender members:
Yes
Shared Spiritual Path:
No
Which Spiritual Path(s):
(Incl Quaker, pagan, UU, Jewish, other choices, incl none.)
Educational Style(s):
Other
(some home school, some attend public or private schools)
Cohousing Details
Cohousing Status:
Completed
Year Completed:
2002
Number of Units:
24
Square Feet in Common House:
2800
Architect:
None.
Developer:
Self-developed.
Commercial Lender:
None.
 
 
very partial view, from Common House looking north
dining room south side
Click an image to see it full size.
Become an Editor Current editor(s): lynnnadeau
 
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