Planning: Working With Non-Profit Developers to Create Affordable Rental Cohousing

Brad Gunkel, Eris Weaver

While many groups are looking for ways to create greater affordability in cohousing, many non-profit developers are looking for ways to create tightly knit communities in their affordable developments. Is this a marriage made in heaven? Or do institutionalized restrictions on non-profit developers make this partnership too encumbered to be worth pursuing? The reality tends to be somewhere in the middle and may be worth considering. Learn about the process and challenges of working with non-profit developers to create affordable rental cohousing through an interactive discussion with the architect and group process consultant for one such community.

Brad Gunkel is Managing Associate of the Berkeley Office of McCamant & Durrett. He is an Architect who specializes in cohousing, community planning, sustainable design and affordable housing. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Brad is intimately familiar with the challenges of creating cohousing in high-priced urban markets. Brad and his wife, Marie, are the newest residents of Doyle Street Cohousing in Emeryville, California.

Eris Weaver’s career as a facilitator and group process consultant has grown directly out of her nine years of experience living and working in cohousing. She enjoys working with forming and existing communities to improve their interpersonal connections, communication skills, and decision-making processes. With a background in improvisational theater, she brings a sense of humor and playfulness into everything she does. Eris is part of the community building team at Cohousing Partners and a founding member of FrogSong in Cotati, CA.