Arboretum Cohousing is a self-selecting group - we have no formal approval process or vote on membership. Essentially, we feel that if you attend several meetings, meet most members of our group, and decide that you are a good fit, then you probably will be. You should know that there is more work involved with cohousing than with a typical house -- not only do you have to maintain open communication with many neighbors, but we are doing much of the development, design input, and marketing ourselves ... and there is plenty of work to go around! We believe the benefits -- a cohesive community made up of familiar faces, living in housing that was designed from community input, plus the assurance of being able to borrow little-known kitchen implements -- far outweigh the extra work that goes into it.

Arboretum Cohousing Inc. is the legal organization that is building the community. By joining Arbco Inc, you can officially become involved with consensus-based decisions of the development process.

The Arbco Prospective Member Guide [download here] gives a good overview of the process for becoming a member of the Arbco community. The steps given below are a summary of that process.

Steps to becoming a member of Arboretum Cohousing Inc.

1. Review information about Arbco on our web site.
2. Attend an information session. These are generally offered every other Saturday at 10:30AM. See Arbco's home page for time and place.
3. Meet informally with members and be sure to ask questions.
4. Attend a Member meeting. These are generally offered every alternating Sundays at 3pm. See Arbco's home page for time and place.
5. Join Arbco by attending 3 meetings (can be member or committee meetings, or social events) and sending $500 membership fee to the Treasurer.
6. Learn more about cohousing from handouts, books, www.cohousing.org, and other cohousing communities.

When you are ready to purchase your new home in Arbco, follow these steps:

Steps to purchasing a Home in Arboretum Cohousing

1. Determine your financial capability to purchase.
2. Select an available home. The web site generally has all the available homes listed. Check with your Arbco Buddy or info@arboretumcohousing for current availability.
3. Submit an Offer to Purchase. This includes $10,000 earnest money for all non-Inclusionary Zoning homes. Check with info@arboretumcohouing.org for where to send your Offer to Purchase.