This is an exciting time, as the community comes together. We are currently a community of seven households, with the potential to grow to nine.
About our community: We thrived through the two years of Covid because we were always able to socialize in our beautiful courtyard. (This was helped by the unfortunate drought conditions; it hardly ever rained.) We purchased a fire pit so it was comfortable to sit outside in chilly weather.
Our scheduled community activities are:
- 4 meals together per month
- 1 work day per month
- 1 meeting per month (about an hour)
Some of us have a casual lunch together as we soak up the sun or enjoy the shade in the courtyard, or we send out a text that we’re going for a walk in case anyone wants to join.
The larger community consists of both co-housers and long-term tenants in this 9-unit complex. The original tenants are welcome to stay and be our neighbors for as long as they like, and the entire community has BBQ’s together in the summer.
Member Profiles
Some of us have chosen to post about ourselves here:
Jenny
I have been working to create Cohousing since 2006, and dreaming of it for about 20 years before that. I’m a retired firefighter and mom to a wonderful grown son, and now my job is keeping this property up.
I’m passionate about pursuing health through complementary conventional and alternative approaches, about this community, and my family and friends. I grew up in what is now Silicon Valley — so I haven’t gone far — and am still close to my brothers and sister. I’m also very interested in political news. I spend most of my time these days renovating these two buildings (and hopefully the carports soon). My favorite leisure activities are walking around the neighborhood, especially to Farmer Joe’s for groceries, working in the garden, and chatting with friends.
Lily
I have been participating in this community for about 7 years, including Open Houses, Games Nights, pot lucks and even a consensus training! I enjoy the peace and quiet, the sunshine and the gardens with the summer produce of tomatoes, butternut squash, peppers and figs, and especially the laid back companionship of my neighbors in this community. I look forward to exploring the neighborhood more, and getting to know more people and more fun things to do in Oakland in general.
John
John is an artist and musician from Santa Clara County. His artistic style leans toward ‘photo realism’ with a twist.
Major influences are J.S. Sargent, Renoir, DaVinci, and reality. His work is shown locally at Frank Bette Art Center, Studio23, and Three Dot art gallery in Alameda.John has been playing (mostly jazz) bass and piano in the Bay Area since the 90s at venues such as the DNA Lounge, Flint Center, Cactus Club, and Elbo Room. Major musical influences are Jaco, Monk, Bootsie Collins, and Victor Wooten. Current project is a Spanish language ‘Cure’ tribute band, La Cura Musica.
John is a divorced father of two and has a grey cat named Jane.
Maya
Maya is an independent videographer and film producer who specializes in creating short visual stories that communicate the energy and impact of local social and environmental movements. Her work is centered around themes of community, food systems, art, and music, and inspired in part by 20+ years of communal living and imagining.