Cohousing-L Mailing List: National Cohousing Open Weekend in the SF East Bay: 10 events

[Raines Cohen (rc3-coho-L]

Can you believe it? National Cohousing Open House Weekend is here!

It's exciting to see all the different kinds of events that groups are
hosting, both virtually and in person. Here's what's happening in the
Berkeley-Oakland (California) area, courtesy of our regional organizing
umbrella group, East Bay Cohousing:

See a full list of all ten (!) with a map and RSVP links at:
https://www.ebcoho.org/open-house-weekend-2023/

Here's what's lined up so far, the list is growing daily:

* A kickoff nosh: Enjoy some Boichik Bagels (local to Berkeley but rated
"Best New York Bagel" by the New York Times!) with Cohousing Coach Betsy
Morris, at Berkeley Cohousing Saturday morning. Rare opportunity to see the
only (so far) community in the city, with innovations in affordability and
sustainability, while plotting your path to living in (or starting)
cohousing, or finding a forming group.

* A work day and the first in-person tour in years Saturday morning at
Pleasant Hill cohousing, the area's most suburban community (yet just a
mile on the bike path from the subway station).

* An open house Saturday afternoon in Oakland at Temescal Creek Cohousing,
the first "retrofit" connect-backyards-and-knock-down-fences community in
the area.

* An affordable-housing open house Saturday afternoon in West Berkeley at
Addison Court Housing Co-op, a cohousing-ish housing co-op on a Community
Land Trust property, with 3 of 10 homes currently available, with share
purchase prices as low as under $5000 and monthly carrying charges under
$1100. Income limits apply.

* An open house with a home for sale Sunday afternoon at the area's first
cohousing community, Doyle Street in Emeryville (the closest to San
Francisco).

* A site walk Sunday afternoon at Mission Creek Village, under development
just down the road in Fremont.

* A virtual gathering Sunday afternoon for Berkeley Moshav, the planned
community celebrating and supporting Jewish life and ritual.

* A debriefing/report-back with the local Permaculture Guild Monday evening
at local tiny-home educational/arts community A PLACE for Sustainable
Living, with an emphasis on the EcoVillage-Cohousing connection.

* A work party a week from Sunday at Kingfisher Cohousing, an all-rental
community in Oakland.

* An (un)common meal debrief a few weeks later, back at Berkeley Cohousing,
honoring the regional organizers Molly and Amy who led the way in putting
this all together (I'm actually out of town at the moment, so incredibly
grateful that they stepped up). Folks will get to come to a common house
and cook (and eat) a meal together, for the full cohousing experience.

Plus, there's open houses within driving range in the North Bay (Frog Song
at Cotati), Sacramento Valley area (the under-construction Washington
Commons and the already-moved-in Fair Oaks EcoHousing), Santa Cruz,
established communities in the Sierra foothills and more. And a Silicon
Valley cohousing visit as part of one local group's "Cohousing University"
next week.

And of course some of us from the area are participating in national events
like next Wednesday's monthly Cohousing Commons call organized by Coho/US.
And joining some of the virtual regional events like Mid-Atlantic
Cohousing's No-Bus Bus Tour this Saturday.

Wherever you call home, look up what's available and get out there to see
what cohousing really looks like. Get to know your neighboring
neighborhoods. And have fun.

Raines Cohen, Cohousing Coach
Cohousing California / East Bay Cohousing regional organizer