Sunward Cohousing :: Communities Directory

Formed: 1994 Established: 1998

This page last updated:5/2/2012

Sunward Cohousing

Ann Arbor, Michigan,

United States

We are a community of people dedicated to creating a place where resources are shared, the Earth is respected, diversity is welcomed, children play together in safety, growth is nurtured, and living in community enriches our lives. Our core values and vision help to provide a common foundation for our decisions and our relationships with each other.

Around 95 people live at Sunward Cohousing, from wee ones to octogenarians. We have singles and couples, families and empty-nesters, and at least one household that functions as a cooperative. We have a diversity of backgrounds, occupations, spiritual and secular paths, and sexual orientations.

In our 14 plus years together on the land, we have experienced births, deaths, weddings, partings, members joining and departing, and much more. Many of us were drawn to Sunward for the sense of community and for the opportunity to live more lightly on the land. We steward 20 beautiful acres of woods, prairie, ponds, one quarter of which contains our clustered private homes and common house.

Website: http://www.sunward.org/

Contact:

Sunward Cohousing
424 Little Lake Dr
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 United States

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

Former/Other Names: Cohousing of Ann Arbor

This page last updated:5/2/2012

Visitors Accepted

(with advance dialog)

Visitor Process: We look forward to meeting prospective members! Please contact us well in advance and please be patient and persistent. It is difficult for us to accommodate drop-in visitors. Please read FIC’s guide to visiting communities ahead of your visit, and thank you for respecting the privacy of our home.

Affiliations: Sunhouse Co-op

Network Affiliations:

Fellowship for Intentional Community

Statement of Housing Non-discrimination:

No Answer Provided

Population Members(adults and children): 91 Non-member Residents: 8 Open to new members: Yes	Government Decision Making: By consensus Identified Leader: No Leadership Core Group: Yes (Several leadership committees for topic areas)	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt: Yes (Members must be able to meet financial obligations to the community) Labor Contribution: Expected (minimum contribution of 5hr/month plus preparing common meals & community meeting participation) Join Fee: Yes (purchase of home or some level of homesharing arrangement.) Regular Fees: Yes (each household pay a monthly fee to community based partly on size.)
Land and Buildings Other (outside city limits, not quite in the country, definitely not suburbia.) Area: 20.1 acres (8.1 hectares) (10 acres of woods, 5 acres of ponds, prairie, gardens, 5 acres of clustered homes) Land Owned By: The community Number of Residences: 40 (40 homes in 9 buildings) Cohousing: Yes	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% (several organic garden sites) Share Community Meals: 2-5 times/week (Common House meals are Sunday, Tues, Wed, Thur) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual Dietary Practice: Omnivorous Alcohol Use: Used occasionally Tobacco Use: Prohibited (in Common House)	Social Factors Common Spiritual Practices: No Which Spiritual Traditions(s): Native American :: Buddhist :: Paganism/Earth Religions :: Eastern :: Protestant/Lutheran :: Quaker :: Jewish :: Unitarian Universalist :: Eclectic (integrates pieces from many religions) :: Other (Atheist, Taoist) Educational Style(s): Home schooling :: Private school off the property :: Public schooled

Cohousing Details

Cohousing Status:

Completed

Year Completed:

1998

Number of Units:

Square Feet in Common House:

7500

(2 floors)

Architect:

Cohousing Company; Sunstructures

Developer:

Self-developed

Commercial Lender:

National Bank of Detroit (NBD) provided the construction loan

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Become an Editor Current editor(s): michael, cohousing

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