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tructure to connect the distant houses in the first case of 20 individual plots, are unnecessary for a cohousing village. Clustering homes not only makes environmental sense but reduces costs, helping make the houses more affordable. The cohousing “common house,” which contains guest rooms, home offices and other common amenities, further promotes affordability because the individual homes don’t need as many rooms and can thereby be smaller. When our family moved from a 2400 sq. ft. house to a 1800 sq. ft. house in a cohousing community, we expected it to be a sacrifice. We discovered, though, that 1800 sq. ft. almost seems too large for my family of four. Because we share large items (such as a lawnmower and tools) with neighbors, we don’t need as much storage space. We also don’t need such a large living or dining room because we can entertain many guests in our beautiful common house. Likewise, if we have too many guests, they can stay in the common house guest rooms.
So how could cohousing be introduced to Rappahannock County? Usually, a group is started by the future cohousing homeowners themselves. They seek additional members through local meetings and by listing on the cohousing.org web site. Then they work together to find the land and builder, work out the financing, etc. Sometimes a cohousing group is started by a developer who decides to build using that model and takes the first steps to attract prospective homeowners.
Before cohousing can exist, local zoning ordinances need to allow for clustered development. In recent years, forward-thinking jurisdictions have started a
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