Harmony Village :: Communities Directory

Formed: 1992 Established: 1996

This page last updated:1/16/2013

Harmony Village

Golden, Colorado,

United States

Harmony Village, located at the foot of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado, is a cohousing community, dedicated to sustainable living. Our cohousing community opened in October 1996 and has 27 households featuring Santa Fe-style, energy efficient, clustered dwellings with common facilities and open space.

Our shared mission is to create a cooperative neighborhood of diverse individuals sharing human resources within an ecologically responsible community setting.

Membership in Harmony Village spans a diversity of ages, incomes, professions, and unit sizes. The "village" features a common house with a kitchen/dining area for some regular meals together, two rooms for children, common storage and laundry facilities, guest rooms, hot tub, and big screen TV. The common grounds include a large community garden, orchard, onsite workshop, and a river-rock labyrinth. Twenty-seven housing units are clustered around small courtyards and the common house to encourage interaction among residents. About half of the original site is reserved as open space.

High on members' priority list from the beginning has been an ecological concern. Members seek to tread lightly on the earth, and hope this small effort to conserve our land and resources will begin a reversal of the devastating effects of ill-considered land-use policy and urban sprawl. Global change occurs one neighborhood at a time. Harmony Village intends to be part of that change.

Website: http://www.harmonyvillage.org/

Contact:

Harmony Village
1001 Cottonwood Circle
Golden, Colorado 80401-1794 United States

Marilyn Sauriol
1007 Cottonwood Circle
Golden, Colorado 80401 United States
Phone: 303-215-1629

Community location is placed at the center of the zip/postal code, city/state, or city/country (not based on street addresses)

This page last updated:1/16/2013

Visitors Accepted

(two guest rooms at the commonhouse)

Visitor Process: Call Ginny Cowles or John Lightburn.

Affiliations: Harmony Village

Network Affiliations:

Fellowship for Intentional Community

:: Rocky Mountain Cohousing Association :: The Cohousing Network (International)

Statement of Housing Non-discrimination:

Because our housing is a single housing unit and requires the sharing of bathroom, kitchen and common space membership/residency may be restricted based on sex/gender in accordance with the law. Our community does not discriminate based on race/color, national origin, religion, family status (i.e. having children, not having children, or being pregnant), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source of income, age, creed, personal appearance, political affiliation, HIV infection, military/veteran status, unfavorable military discharge, gender identity or expression, receiving public assistance, or domestic abuse.

Population Members(adults and children): 75 Non-member Residents: 0 Open to new members: Yes (as dwelling availabilty permits)	Government Decision Making: By consensus Identified Leader: No Leadership Core Group: Yes (we have a council consisting of five community members; council members are appointed by the community by consensus and serve 3-year terms; most members who are not on council are responsible for a "point person" position, i.e. trash/recycling, kitchen manager, purser/accountant, common house facilities manager, interpersonal communications; those who are not point people help with tasks on an "as needed" basis; this governance structure is relatively new and is still being fine-tuned)	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt: Yes Labor Contribution: Expected (4 hours per adult member per month OR $15 for each work hour not contributed) Join Fee: No Regular Fees: Yes (community dues are approximately $145 to $275/month based on size of the unit, number of occupants, estimated maintenance costs and other factors; dues are reviewed yearly)
Land and Buildings Small Town (Golden has a small-town feel, but we are adjacent to Denver which is a major metropolitan area) Area: 5.5 acres (2.2 hectares) (about 1/2 is open space) Land Owned By: The community (individuals own the land occupied by their residence and garage; the rest of the land is owned by the community) Number of Residences: 27 (there are 27 townhome-style residences in 10 residential buildings, some former residents and nearby neighbors share in community meals and participate in community events) Cohousing: Yes	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 6-20% (we have a large, organic community garden and orchard tended by our master gardener, David Wann, and several volunteers from the community; we have a contract with the City of Golden to supply untreated water via agricultural ditch, the water is moved by a solar-powered pumping system; some of the produce is sold, the rest is used by community members; we also have a member who raises honey bees) Share Community Meals: 1 time/week (attendance at common meals varies, average attendance is approximately 25 adults and 5 children) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: There are some dietary restrictions (some members have food sensitivities, i.e. wheat, dairy, soy; most members take this into account when planning meals) Dietary Practice: Omnivorous (people generally eat a varied diet) Alcohol Use: Used occasionally (seldom at common meals) Tobacco Use: Seldom used (prohibited in the commonhouse; discouraged in most residences)	Social Factors Common Spiritual Practices: No Which Spiritual Traditions(s): Native American :: Buddhist :: Paganism/Earth Religions :: Protestant/Lutheran :: Roman Catholic :: Jewish :: Unitarian Universalist :: Ecumenical (includes "all religions") :: Eclectic (integrates pieces from many religions) (There may be other spiritual paths not represented here) Educational Style(s): Private school off the property :: Public schooled (there are a few community members who provide on-site child care for community members)

Cohousing Details

Cohousing Status:

Completed

Year Completed:

1996

Number of Units:

Click an image to see it full size.

Become an Editor Current editor(s): joetheyeti

Comments from Directory Readers This community selects which reader comments to display (more info). You can add yours below.
Sort comments by rating

Add Your Comment on Harmony Village

We encourage comments from those who have first hand experience with a community so that others may benefit from your experience. Please share information you think will be useful to other users of this site, in a clear, concise, and polite manner. Each community can choose to display all comments, display selected comments, or not to display comments (more info). Communities will be shown email addresses of those who comment so that they might communicate with you if they choose.

We reserve the right to edit or delete any comment.

You must be logged in to add a comment. Login here or if you have not yet registered on our site Register here.

More Info on Display Options

Communities can choose one of three options for how reader comments are displayed.