East Bay Cohousing

Want to learn more about what it's like to build, join, and participate in cohousing as you age? The Seniors in Cohousing Advocates Committee of the National Cohousing Association (Coho/US) will be facilitating an informal conversation for those interested in senior cohousing and/or senior living in intergenerational cohousing.

This (free) event will take place every month on the 20th at 10am Mountain Time.

Join East Bay Cohousing at a community-crafted gathering to explore community, resilience, restoration, and regeneration both in the San Francisco Bay & Delta and beyond. 

These are days of darkness & possibility, uncertainty & opportunity. We are calling doers and dreamers from all walks of life to join together and create the story of a thriving future for all life, where we live: the Bay Delta Bioregion, and its many beautiful watersheds and communities. 

The Question: How do we better collaborate within and across communities and watersheds to co-create a thriving future for all life? 

In true unconference fashion, the rest is up to you!  Participants will create the agenda. You can propose your own topic and there will be many stimulating sessions to join. 

Sessions will cover a wide range of topics, such as local food systems, bioregionalism, land stewardship, social justice, solidarity economy, ecological restoration, regenerative practices, Indigenous leadership, storytelling, solarpunk, the "collapse", and cooperation.

Formats will run the gamut from inspiring conversations to somatic exercises to “roll up your sleeves” problem-solving.

This event is for everyone whether you’re professionally involved, active as a volunteer and community member,  or curious about how you can contribute.

Don't miss this chance to experience a transformative and joyful day of networking, connecting, sharing, and action-making. We hope this will be the first of many gatherings that grow the movement to re-imagine a world that works for all life. Together, we will create new pathways for regeneration and resilience in the Bay and beyond.

While this event is not centered on cohousing, many EBCOHO allies are involved and we believe that the topics covered are relevant for anyone creating or living in sustainable community in the East Bay or beyond. We will be participating and offering to host discussions that make these links clearer, and helping people find paths to get the knowledge, experience and connections needed to bring about more communities with more depth in these areas.

Presented in partnership with:

• east bay permaculture guild
• Global Regeneration CoLab
• The Bay Delta Trust
• LIFT Economy
• East Bay Cohousing
• Greenermind Summit
• CrowdDoing
• NatureCounter
• California Doughnut Economics Coalition
• Cultivating Self
• Cosmic Labyrinth
• Terran Collective
• Hylo

Coordinated by Kaliya Young’s unconference facilitation team featuring longtime EBCOHO partner and supporter Ajay Tallam.

Join the rare in-person tour at the San Francisco East Bay's biggest and most "suburban" cohousing neighborhood, Pleasant Hill Cohousing (PHCH), the first "new-build" intergenerational cohousing community in the region, the largest in the East Bay, and a lovely community.

While this community normally hosts monthly virtual tours, this is the first chance to visit in person in a year.

You'll have the opportunity to take a tour (at 10:15 AM) of our lovely 2.2 acre grounds, common house, and a 2 bedroom residence for sale. We'll have time to answer questions from multiple residents.

After you RSVP on this page you’ll be taken to a Google form which sends your info directly to the community — please do fill that out to get directions, parking details and more.

This is part of National Cohousing Week. For a full list of area events, visit the East Bay Cohousing list.

This long-established cohousing neighborhood has been hosting a tour every month for decades (lately mostly online, the first Sunday, except on holidays), regardless of whether or not there are openings. The tour is the first step on the path to membership, helping potential neighbors learn more and pre-filter themselves by learning about the community and the next steps in the process.

Visit the Pleasant Hill page on the East Bay Cohousing website for more info on the virtual tours.

If you need to cancel your reservation, or decide not to go, please let Pleasant Hill's volunteer tour guide know as soon as possible!

Individual Homes

There are 32 units, grouped in various configurations ranging from 2-6 homes per building. The buildings were constructed with wood framing, stucco outer walls, and corrogated metal roofing. The smallest units are 640 sq ft one-bedrooms; the largest are 1579 sq ft four-bedrooms.

Each home has its own kitchen. The homes are owned individually as condominiums, with some rentals.

Common Areas

Our 3,835 sq ft Common House contains a kitchen, dining room ("great room"), sitting room, laundry, kids room, teens/older kids room, crafts room, guest rooms, and bathrooms.

The Common House is the only building in the project that has air conditioning. However to minimize the use of air conditioning, the building also has a cooling tower with large fans that can be used in the evening to pull cooler air into the building and push hot air out.

Other common facilities include swimming pool, hot tub, play area, workshop, bike shed, organic garden, and granite boulders from original site - both decorative and used by children for climbing.

Location

We're conveniently located near Highway 680 and public transportation, with easy access to Walnut Creek, shopping, and recreation.

Pleasant Hill, population 32,000, is located 30 miles east of San Francisco, 4 miles north of the I-680/Hwy 24 interchange. Mostly a residential community with scattered retail/commercial areas, it is bounded by the cities of Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Concord, and Martinez. Pleasant Hill has recently (2000) redeveloped its downtown to create a contemporary shopping district just blocks from the site. In addition, an abundance of good restaurants and shops are within easy driving distance. The city has good recreation programs for all ages and regional walking/biking trails traverse it.

Iron Horse Trail

A walking and biking trail - the Iron Horse Trail (so named because it's on the old Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way) - runs alongside the site and connects to the Pleasant Hill BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station (~1 mile) and downtown Walnut Creek (~4 miles). The 24-mile trail goes north-south from Concord to Dublin and connects to several other trails that traverse the county making for great biking opportunities.

A neighborhood park is located just the other side of Fair Oaks Elementary School adjacent to the site. Briones Regional Park and Mt. Diablo State Park are located nearby providing numerous opportunities for hiking and recreation. There are several health clubs in Pleasant Hill including the YMCA.

Diablo Valley Community College and JFK University are located in Pleasant Hill, and there are several city and county adult education programs in the area.

There are multiple venues nearby for movies, theater, music and other performing arts including the Dean Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, the Willows Theater Company in Concord, and the Concord Pavillion.

There are farmers markets in Pleasant Hill (May-Nov) and Walnut Creek (year-round). Several community members participate in a CSA farm, Terra Firma Farms, with a weekly delivery of locally grown organic fruits and vegies made even more convenient because we are the drop site. 

Part of National Cohousing Week (organized by the National Cohousing Association)

and Affordable Housing Month in the East Bay (organized by East Bay Housing Organizations)

Come see what it looks like to live in cohousing neighborhoods in the East Bay:

• Visit sustainable intentional communities in the Berkeley-Oakland area.
• See how they blend privacy and community, with individual homes plus a Common House.
• Get a taste of what it's like to dine together, with regular common meals.
• Learn about each community's unique design, how it came together, and the innovative approaches to affordability, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability each embodies.
• Find out how to learn about future openings in these communities and new ones in formation in the area and beyond.

Free and open to all; individual communities may have refreshments for sale or other opportunities to support them or their members work.

Led by East Bay Cohousing, the regional umbrella network for cooperative community living, in partnership with EBHO, the National Cohousing Association (Coho/US), the Bay Area Cooperative Housing Network, Bay Area Community Land Trust (BACLT), and more.

Note: The listed location is where the event starts, and will only be open 9-11 AM. Please do not come in except during listed hours. Please RSVP on the event website to get sent details on when and where other communities will open their doors.

BYO transportation. At the starting spot, please don't use the parking lot; bicycle parking is available to the right of the Common House and the AC Transit 88 bus stops out front (North Berkeley BART is 5 blocks away).

No pets, service animals, or smoking onsite. Access to the Common House requires climbing three steps (we're working on getting a ramp in soon!)

• For additional East Bay Cohousing events during Affordable Housing Month, see a growing list here (check back for updates).
• We'll also be listing additional East Bay Cohousing events that are part of National Cohousing Week here (check back for links).

Part of National Cohousing Week (organized by the National Cohousing Association)

and Affordable Housing Month in the East Bay (organized by East Bay Housing Organizations)

Come get a (literal) taste of living in cohousing in the East Bay:

• Come hang in out in a Common House of a long-established cohousing neighborhood.
• Get a taste of what it's like to dine together, in a replica of one of the community's common meals.
• Get hands-on experiencing cooking in the common kitchen.
• Enjoy the fruits of your labor by dining together and a facilitated conversation with experienced cohousers and other seekers.

Advance ticket purchase required to cover food cost.

Led by East Bay Cohousing, the regional umbrella network for cooperative community living, in partnership with EBHO, the National Cohousing Association (Coho/US), and more.

Note: The listed location will only be open for those who get tickets in advance. Please do not enter the property without a ticket, or at other times.

BYO transportation. At the event location, please don't use the parking lot; bicycle parking is available to the right of the Common House and the AC Transit 88 bus stops out front (North Berkeley BART is 5 blocks away).

No pets, service animals, or smoking onsite. Access to the Common House requires climbing three steps (we're working on getting a ramp in soon!)

• For additional East Bay Cohousing events during Affordable Housing Month, see a growing list here (check back for updates).
• We'll also be listing additional East Bay Cohousing events that are part of National Cohousing Week here (check back for links).

• Curious about cohousing but don’t know where to start?
• Want to meet with cohousing newbies and experts alike?

This (free) monthly gathering, organized by the National Cohousing Association (Coho/US) will include a Cohousing 101 presentation and ample time to connect and ask questions.

We’ll share cohousing lingo, best practices and more information on how to continue your cohousing journey.

Can't make it this time? No worries. Join us once, or every time – we’ll be here every month on the 10th at 10am MT. (9 AM Pacific, 11 CST, 12 Eastern)

Want to learn more about what it's like to build, join, and participate in cohousing as you age? The Seniors in Cohousing Advocates Committee of the National Cohousing Association (Coho/US) will be facilitating an informal conversation for those interested in senior cohousing and/or senior living in intergenerational cohousing.

This (free) event will take place every month on the 20th at 10am Mountain Time.

Raines says: This regular monthly community tour and open house of the East Bay's biggest and most "suburban" cohousing neighborhood, Pleasant Hill cohousing, the first "new-build" classic cohousing community in the region, the largest in the East Bay, and a lovely community.

Note that this is not an official MeetUp run by East Bay Cohousing, but we will pass along RSVPs that come in here.

Normally every first Sunday of the month. CURRENTLY VIRTUAL - DO NOT COME TO THE SITE WITHOUT PRE-ARRANGEMENT FOR PROPER PROTECTION.

Visit Pleasant Hill Cohousing's page on the EBCOHO MeetUp for more info, links, and current openings.

If you need to cancel your reservation, or decide not to go, please let Pleasant Hill's volunteer tour guide know as soon as possible!

Individual Homes

There are 32 units, grouped in various configurations ranging from 2-6 homes per building. The buildings were constructed with wood framing, stucco outer walls, and corrogated metal roofing. The smallest units are 640 sq ft one-bedrooms; the largest are 1579 sq ft four-bedrooms.

Each home has its own kitchen. The homes are owned individually as condominiums, with some rentals.

Common Areas

Our 3,835 sq ft Common House contains a kitchen, dining room ("great room"), sitting room, laundry, kids room, teens/older kids room, crafts room, guest rooms, and bathrooms.

The Common House is the only building in the project that has air conditioning. However to minimize the use of air conditioning, the building also has a cooling tower with large fans that can be used in the evening to pull cooler air into the building and push hot air out.

Other common facilities include swimming pool, hot tub, play area, workshop, bike shed, organic garden, and granite boulders from original site - both decorative and used by children for climbing.

Location

We're conveniently located near Highway 680 and public transportation, with easy access to Walnut Creek, shopping, and recreation.

Pleasant Hill, population 32,000, is located 30 miles east of San Francisco, 4 miles north of the I-680/Hwy 24 interchange. Mostly a residential community with scattered retail/commercial areas, it is bounded by the cities of Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Concord, and Martinez. Pleasant Hill has recently (2000) redeveloped its downtown to create a contemporary shopping district just blocks from the site. In addition, an abundance of good restaurants and shops are within easy driving distance. The city has good recreation programs for all ages and regional walking/biking trails traverse it.

Iron Horse Trail

A walking and biking trail - the Iron Horse Trail (so named because it's on the old Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way) - runs alongside the site and connects to the Pleasant Hill BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station (~1 mile) and downtown Walnut Creek (~4 miles). The 24-mile trail goes north-south from Concord to Dublin and connects to several other trails that traverse the county making for great biking opportunities.

A neighborhood park is located just the other side of Fair Oaks Elementary School adjacent to the site. Briones Regional Park and Mt. Diablo State Park are located nearby providing numerous opportunities for hiking and recreation. There are several health clubs in Pleasant Hill including the YMCA.

Diablo Valley Community College and JFK University are located in Pleasant Hill, and there are several city and county adult education programs in the area.

There are multiple venues nearby for movies, theater, music and other performing arts including the Dean Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, the Willows Theater Company in Concord, and the Concord Pavillion.

There are farmers markets in Pleasant Hill (May-Nov) and Walnut Creek (year-round). Several community members participate in a CSA farm, Terra Firma Farms, with a weekly delivery of locally grown organic fruits and vegies made even more convenient because we are the drop site. 

• Curious about cohousing but don’t know where to start?
• Want to meet with cohousing newbies and experts alike?

This (free) monthly gathering, organized by the National Cohousing Association (Coho/US) will include a Cohousing 101 presentation and ample time to connect and ask questions.

We’ll share cohousing lingo, best practices and more information on how to continue your cohousing journey.

Can't make it this time? No worries. Join us once, or every time – we’ll be here every month on the 10th at 10am MT. (9 AM Pacific, 11 CST, 12 Eastern)

Want to learn more about what it's like to build, join, and participate in cohousing as you age? The Seniors in Cohousing Advocates Committee of the National Cohousing Association (Coho/US) will be facilitating an informal conversation for those interested in senior cohousing and/or senior living in intergenerational cohousing.

This (free) event will take place every month on the 20th at 10am Mountain Time.