South Sound Cohousing
South Sound Cohousing is a group of like-minded households that wished to build an intentional community in the Tacoma area. They place a high value on community versus autonomy. Cohousing fulfills a need many of us have: to feel a sense of belonging and to live in a community where neighborliness is part of everyday life. The intent is to maintain private space while sharing common areas and interests with convivial neighbors and friends.

Their 1.75 acre target site had a wooded green belt on one side and was several blocks away from any major streets with traffic noise. It was relatively flat with some gentle slopes, making it an ideal site for minimal earthmoving yet offering some variation. There was an elementary school and extensive park system within easy walking distance. Accessibility to mass transit was good. The group expected to have a degree of participation with their surrounding community, which was diverse in age and ethnicity.

VELOCIPEDE assisted South Sound Cohousing with promotional materials and to prepare their land use permit application. In August 2003 we facilitated a day-long site design session which resulted in the group's preferred site concept of 20 townhouses with a common facility arranged around a pedestrian green space. Our firm was also engaged in December 2003 to produce color renderings of the proposed community.

As of late 2005, the group had lost a few key members and decided not to proceed with design and construction. They continue to gather socially in their individual houses scattered around Tacoma, in a "virtual" cohousing community.
Pedestrian common area
Preliminary site plan