Capitol Hill Urban CoHousing

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Established
  • Urban

What we do

We are a very diverse community in an incredibly dense neighborhood in Seattle – Capitol Hill. We have all of our 9 households with children between ages 5 and 19 years old and our adults range from mid-30’s to mid-70’s.

We have 9 units on 4500sf lot (smaller than the typical Seattle single family lot). Our property is located 3 blocks from light rail and has great bus access. We built with high Built-Green and LEED guidelines achieving as many high-performance sustainability metrics for energy and water usage as much as was financially feasible both now and planning for future upgrades.

We broke ground in late October, 2014 and took occupancy in June, 2016. Please note we are a unique hybrid model. All members paid a minimal joining fee of $30,000 to join our LLC. The members built the apartment building and we are self-managed. We pay market rate rents which will be kept artificially as stable as possible, rather than increasing with the market. This is intended to entice longevity. In 2024 we had our first household turn-over since move in. It’s unlikely we’ll have any openings but to be notified please join our mailing list on our website. That is where any short-term rentals or long-term residencies would be announced.

Our Vision

We are an urban community bridging generations, aiming to be good neighbors on Capitol Hill. We value sharing and seek health, both for ourselves and our planet. Our Values include:
* Sharing
* Environmental Awareness
* Intergenerational
* Neighborhood Partnership
* Healthy Individuals
* Healthy Community

Our Mission

We are an urban community bridging generations, aiming to be good neighbors on Capitol Hill. We value sharing and seek health, both for ourselves and our planet. Our Values include:
* Sharing
* Environmental Awareness
* Intergenerational
* Neighborhood Partnership
* Healthy Individuals
* Healthy Community

  • Community type
  • Cohousing

Gallery

  • 22 Total members
  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
22

How to join

We use a self-selecting process to see if our community is a good fit for you and vice versa.

 

  1. You would start by completing an online questionnaire to help us to get to know you.
  2. We’ll create an opportunity for you to tour and ask questions.
  3. After that we’ll invite you to attend some community meals and conversations to get to know us better.
  4. Once you’re sure and we’re sure, we’ll ask you to provide 3 references and to complete an application for a background check. Then you’ll sign the Operating Agreement and pay your Initial Capital Contribution. Eventually, we mutually agree on a move-in timeline & you sign your lease.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

There are typically monthly tours lead by our commercial tenant and architect Schemata Workshop. These are usually on Saturday mornings but be sure to check our website’s tour page for info and link to register. https://capitolhillurbancohousing.org/tours/

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: Yes (amount not specified)
Monthly fees/dues: Yes (amount not specified)
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
originally $30,000 buys into LLC. we are a rental community…this amount is likely to be increased in the future
originally $50/month membership plus market-rate rent monthly…currently we ask folks to contribute as they can
Since we are very small everyone must actively participate in the work of the community. We do not set requirements or track hours.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Internet, guest room, laundry, outdoor spaces

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Jewish

Property status

  • Privately owned

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    0.1 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Washington, United States

Capitol Hill Urban CoHousing

Promoted Needs and Offers

Need
  • Communities with Openings
5 months ago

Join us in the mountains of Western North Carolina

Coweeta Heritage Center/Talking Rock Farm is located in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Coweeta is located in a beautiful and diverse temperate rain forest. It feels very remote here yet we are just 12 miles from Franklin, NC. Winters can be mild. Coweeta is blessed with springs and a stream, pristine forests, and abundant wildlife. Power is provided by a hydro-electric system which is not connected to the grid. An organic garden and trout pond provide healthy food that is also shared with the local community. Hiking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities are just out the back door. Coweeta is looking for others who would like to join together to form an Intentional Community embracing the principles of Voluntary Simplicity. Simply put (no pun intended): We wish “to live simply so that others may simply live.” It is a recognition that nature provides us with valuable services and resources that we can use to enrich our lives. Utilizing local resources, appropriate technology, and working cooperatively, we can discover creative ways to meet our needs as “directly and simply as possible.”. An example of this, in the tradition of many Indigenous People”, is to gather, and use wildcrafted foods as part of our diet. There is great joy in going to nature’s grocery for our sustenance. Voluntary Simplicity is based on the recognition that “very little is needed to live well” and that “abundance is a state of mind.” Living lower on the economic ladder allows us more time and freedom to pursue other life goals: community and social engagement, family time, artistic or intellectual projects, more fulfilling employment, political participation, sustainable living, spiritual exploration, and more. According to the Voluntary Collective, “The grounding assumption of Voluntary Simplicity is that all human beings have the potential to live meaningful, free, happy and infinitely diverse lives while consuming no more than an equitable share of (the world’s) resources.” We affirm the need for a work/life balance, the right to a healthy environment and healthy food, and healthy community relationships supporting a diverse population. It is our responsibility as engineers of a new generation to make the changes that we want to see happen and pass this on to the next generations. We can’t wait for someone else to do this important work. Voluntary Simplicity is a quiet revolution that can change the world. As one person said, “we must be poets of our own lives and of a new generation.” We hope you will join us here at Coweeta or elsewhere on our journey to a healthier and more sustainable future! Temporary housing is available in a 27 foot trailer trailer with attached deck next to a creek while we build additional housing. Your basic living expenses (shelter, basic food items, power and water) are met through our market garden or other fundraising projects that you will participate in. You are expected to contribute a given amount of your time and energy to help grow our community and meet our financial obligations. Possible future plans include establishing a retreat center for healing our earth and each other. Work includes organic gardening, construction projects and other community building activities. Come join Coweeta and learn how to live lightly on the land and enjoy the Earth’s bounty! For more information, visit www.coweetaheritagecenter.com Contact [email protected] for a visit or more info.  Paul
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