Sunward Cohousing

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Established
  • Suburban

What we do

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 infants to centenarians. We have singles and couples, families with children, empty-nesters, and shared homes. We have a diversity of backgrounds, occupations, spiritual and secular paths, and sexual orientations.

In our years together on the land since 1998, we have experienced births, deaths, weddings, partings, joys, sorrows, 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.

Our Vision

deepeing connections, stewardship of land, creating a beautiful legacy for future generations

Our Mission

deepeing connections, stewardship of land, creating a beautiful legacy for future generations

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • 97 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
97

How to join

Read our public documents. Begin a conversation with us. Arrange a visit. Attend a Community Meeting and a Common House dinner. Meet as many Sunwardians as you can. Ask yourself how you can sustainably contribute to the shared work of running our community.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We look forward to meeting prospective members! Please contact us well in advance and please be patient and persistent. We can NOT 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.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • 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

Monthly fees/dues: Yes (amount not specified)
Labor required: 2 hours/week
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes
Members must be able to meet financial obligations to the community, and manage a financially stable household.

 

Minimum contribution of 5hr/month plus preparing common meals & community meeting participation

 

Purchase of home or some level of rental or homesharing arrangement.

 

each household pay a monthly fee to community based partly on size.

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

Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Waterfront access, Gym or sports area, Internet, 10 acres of woods, 5 acres of ponds & wetlands

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Jewish
  • Quaker
  • Native
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions
  • Unitarian Universalist

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Suburban

Residential areas outside city centers but within metropolitan regions.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%
  • Land area size
    20 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Michigan, United States

Sunward Cohousing

Promoted Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Forming Communities
2 months ago

Cohousing ABQ: Life is better together. We're moving in during 2026. Last homes available!

We’ve broken ground on a multigenerational cohousing community along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque, NM! Our community features 25 beautiful, energy-efficient homes clustered around a shared open space, with a fully equipped common house and a range of community amenities. A few last homes are still available — please refer to our website for up-to-date availability. These homes will be move-in ready in the summer/fall of 2026. Or you might be interested in our Wait Pool for unit sizes no longer available. Click here to watch a video of our cohousing community: https://cohousingabq.org/video Our land is on a quiet road with lots of families and kids. The neighborhood’s agricultural roots give it a rural feel, but the center of town is just a 3-minute drive away. Our community plans include play areas for kids, a shared farming area, a year-round greenhouse, an orchard, a workshop and electric vehicle charging. We are diverse in age, background and identity, representing a mix of families with children, couples and singles. We range in age from 2 to 82, and there are 13 kids in our community so far. We have created a fun, caring culture among our group, regularly getting together for meals, camping trips and play dates by the river, in addition to collaborating on our community plans and supporting one another through life’s ups and downs. In Albuquerque, there’s lots to keep us busy, from museums and galleries to nationally recognized wineries and breweries. With 310 sunny days per year, you can often find us outside—hiking, biking or skiing, or exploring the mountains, parks and historic sites all around the region. The Rio Grande that flows through the city center is a playground for kayakers, and miles of walking and cycling trails wind through its wooded banks. Reach out to us or join an upcoming Meet & Greet to learn more about becoming a part of our community! E
Offer
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
5 months ago

Ideal Island Property for an Intentional community - Panama

Set up an Airbnb, Retreat Centre, Intentional Community or a place for the whole family with many exceptional spots to build casitas. If you like Pina Coladas and basking in the suns rays from your deck, then read on because this empyrean spot in the Carribbean is just for you . The pineapple for the Pina Colada was picked this morning from one of the many pineapple patches dotted around the property. This property is in Bahia Grande on Isla San Cristobal in the Bocas del Toro archipelago of Panama Central America This 30 acre (12.14 hectare) property offers you a jungle with a fresh water stream, ancient trees, birds , sloths and monkeys . Sea frontage with mangroves and dolphins The property (ROP) has been recently surveyed and has over 20 years of clean documented land ownership and history and all legal requirements and due diligence is in place for an effortless transfer. There are no property taxes. Lush lawns surround the house with an abundance of herbs, bananas pineapples, coconut, sugar cane, cacao, citronella and more. The nispero constructed house (on stilts) is on a raised plateau (no flooding from high tides) and set back from the sea line to capitalise on views. It has two bedrooms en suite, lounge, dinning room, kitchen, hallway, utility room and a back and front deck. The foundations are strong enough to take another storey and there is a cement slab under the house for expansion as well as a large loft area. The house is furnished and comes with all appliances (6 burner gas stove, 2 x fridge freezers, chest freezer, washing machine, dishwasher). There is a bodega for garden implements. A boat house and two covered bays for boats. An efficient solar system comprises 14 x 390 watt panels. 3000 watt hybrid inverter. 3 x 48 volt 100 amph lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4). There are also an additional 10 x 210 watt spare panels to set up an additional system if required. A generator is available.

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