Arboretum Cohousing, Inc. is a non-profit membership organization whose purpose is to provide sustainable and affordable living spaces to its members. Arbco operates on consensus, as do many other cohousing organizations, which is both a means of governance and a way of interacting with each other in community. Legally, Arbco is structured as a condominium association. Each member owns their own unit and we all own the land and common space together.

Board of Directors

The Board is elected at the annual meeting each January. Board terms are for 2 years.

The Board has general oversight over Arboretum Cohousing and is a necessary structure for any incorporated organization. Most of the work is done by committees, with the Board providing guidance as needed.

History

The core group of what is now called Arboretum Cohousing had its first get-together in early 2003, with no particular site yet in mind. Planning began in earnest when Madison's St. Marys Hospital, as part of it's expansion efforts, offered a block of houses for sale to a developer who would meet the hospital's and the neighborhood's goals of home ownership and affordability. In late 2003, the Arboretum Cohousing proposal was accepted.

Since then, the group has been refining the details of the offer to purchase while working on design and organizational issues. We began the public outreach campaign in January 2006, and reached our target goal of two-thirds of homes presold by that summer. That triggered a host of other design and planning steps, and we excitedly held the groundbreaking ceremony in late summer 2007. Construction was completed the the end of September 2008.