How do I become a member?

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To become a member of Phoenix Commons you must pay a one-time membership fee that leads to a deposit for a specific unit. The first fee allows you to attend co-housing meetings as a non-voting member and is non-refundable, but may be applied or credited toward the eventual purchase of a unit. To become a voting member requires reserving a unit and putting down a $3,000 deposit towards the price of the unit. This second fee is refundable 30 days after the month in which written notice is given and the unit reservation given up. At the time the second fee is paid a deadline is established to fulfill the third requirement of the 20% deposit and sign the purchase agreement and other documents required by the HOA to become a permanent member while you occupy the unit. Once this last deposit is paid, it is refundable, with written notice, 30 days after the project is completed and ready for occupancy. This is required to maintain the financing for construction. The only exception that would allow for an earlier release of this deposit is if the unit can be sold to another person and all other units are sold.

Where is Phoenix Commons?

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Although it has an Oakland address, the complex is positioned to take advantage of Alameda’s city core with a walkability rating of 92 – a rating of just 60 is considered very good. It shares a long walkway with its neighbors as part of the Bay Trail. Phoenix Commons is on the waterfront in a vibrant urban neighborhood on the border of Oakland and Alameda, located next to the Jingletown Arts District. Over the years, this neighborhood has slowly transformed from an industrial area into an interesting and eclectic mix of artist studios, lofts and cafes, as well as new condominium and apartment homes. Our address is 340 29th Avenue, Oakland, California, next to the Park Street Bridge and just blocks from the 880 freeway.

As building is not yet completed, you can find our offices at 1723 Webster Street in Alameda.

Phoenix Commons calls itself a “cooperative lifestyle community,” why use this term?

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We believe the co-housing model of community organization is the best model for active seniors who are seeking the best way to sustain a vital community. We also think a cooperative form of ownership is the best way to sustain a community financially. Although the two have different histories, they both try to achieve the same outcome – a group of people who intentionally try to work together to create a sustainable and interdependent neighborhood that fosters independence and honors privacy. Rather than move into a senior-friendly community and accept what is offered by professional management, people now have an alternative to choose a lifestyle that uses cooperative principles (found in both co-housing and cooperatives) to achieve a self-managed community where the members make the rules.

So for our purposes, co-housing and cooperatives should be seen as siblings, with very few differences – used interchangeably for simplicity. A “cooperative lifestyle community” is therefore a descriptive term for a community where all choose to live under cooperative and co-housing principles.

Why is this grassroots alternative now arising?

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People are seeking alternatives to the car-oriented suburban way of life that isolates so many people in their retirement years. Co-housing communities offer nurturing places where people grow and age well in a community of like-minded people. Co-housing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods. Co-housing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The physical design encourages both social contact and individual space. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground and a common house.

Co-housing communities are usually designed as attached homes along one or more pedestrian streets or clustered around a courtyard. They range in size from 7 to 67 residences, the majority of them housing 20 to 40 households – Phoenix Commons has 41 units. Regardless of the size of the community, there are many opportunities for casual meetings between neighbors, as well as for deliberate gatherings such as celebrations, clubs and business meetings.

The “common house” (or community space) is designed to give extensive amenities not found in most communities, so the units live larger than a common condo or attached home. Phoenix Commons’ common area is over 7,000 square feet, just under the size of three houses. The common house is the social center of the community, with a large dining room and kitchen, lounges or community rooms, exercise or fitness area, recreational facilities, workshop and laundry room. Communities often have a separate guest unit in or near the common house where guests often stay free of charge when they visit. Communities usually serve optional group meals in the common house up to five times a week. The need for community members to take care of common property builds a sense of working together, trust and support as well as substantially reducing costs. Because neighbors hold a commitment to a relationship with one another, almost all co-housing communities use consensus as the basis for group decision-making.

Senior communities like Phoenix Commons also address the need for universal design (barrier-free living that is already adapted to address issues of aging) that fosters independence even in the later years. Green building also allows occupants to live lighter on the earth and enjoy energy savings of modern construction. The group purchasing capability of co-housing/cooperative communities achieve many financial and quality advantages as well.

Source: Information for this question is gained from literature provided by the Cohousing Association of the United States – http://www.cohousing.org (Edited and modified to accommodate space requirements).

How can an active senior community be both co-housing and a co-op?

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It is simple when you look at the many similarities rather than the few differences. The few differences are mainly related to finance. Most co-housing developments use the condo model, where there are 41 individual owners with individual title (each paying their own bank mortgage) to their unit, but are also part of a HOA that requires joint liability. A co-op is a group of 41 individual shares of a single mortgage together and have an HOA much like a condo HOA. Co-housing owners must respect the individual ownership of each unit like a traditional condo, while trying to live together under some blanket philosophy to try to live together. Co-ops have certain rights that condos do not have under the law. When a group of people choose to live in community these differences do not mean much, but when a dispute arises, the law comes first. The difference really should boil down to how you pay your mortgage. If you live in a condo you pay the bank, if you live in a co-op you pay your neighbors, who then pay the bank.

What is a cooperative (co-op) housing community?

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Senior cooperatives are a much more common form of self-managed communities. Some senior co-ops date back to the 1970s and there are many, many more of them than senior co-housing communities. Many senior cooperatives have hired on-site management, but some do not. Take away the outside management option, and co-ops are very close to co-housing in how they operate – with the emphasis on cooperative living.

So co-housing is more a style of living and cooperatives are more a form of ownership. Both work on a cooperative philosophy of community organization, which Phoenix Commons believes is paramount in achieving a sustainable, self-managed senior community. It is this philosophy or lifestyle that Phoenix Commons wants to foster, the exact form is really up to the people that choose to live there.

Can I sublet my home?

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Yes, you can. However, restrictions on the number of non-owner occupied units may be required by the mortgage lenders. As with traditional real estate co-ops, members will have some oversight regarding bringing in new residents. Typically, the Community Relations committee has a role in carrying out policies in this area. The city has some restrictions, which state that the resident must be 55 years or over and meet certain independent living standards to occupy the unit. For a fee, the community association could provide certain property maintenance duties to the lessee, freeing the lessor from some community responsibilities. If you are able to sublet the unit, you are still financially obligated to pay HOA fees and the fees associated with replacing the volunteer hours a member would normally perform. Usually renters who move into co-housing communities do the volunteer hours willingly as part of their attempt to become part of the community, so this cost rarely becomes necessary. The HOA will establish rules for temporary use of the units which may allow for other types of temporary occupancy, but the developer is not able to make such arrangements.

What happens if someone wants to move and sell their home?

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It has been demonstrated over the years that co-housing communities hold their price and often have a list of people waiting to purchase units when available. A committee of the Phoenix Commons community will take the lead regarding community relations. This might include maintaining a waiting list and communicating with those who have expressed interest in the community. Many co-housing communities hold informational events from time to time to reach out to the surrounding community and maintain connections with future members.

How is maintenance of my residence handled?

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All owners will maintain or arrange for the maintenance of the interior of their residence. A part-time maintenance person is budgeted for, who can do basic community maintenance and help coordinate larger projects when needed. HOA may allow for minor handyman chores to be carried out by the maintenance man for a nominal fee paid to the HOA and prearranged by the designated HOA representative. This accommodates lower cost repairs via staff maintenance man or contract services from approved vendors who may offer discounts and/or priority service.

Can I have a pet?

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Yes, pets are allowed at Phoenix Commons and a pet policy will be established by community members. Pets can be a very important part of people’s lives and add a positive dimension to community life when there is responsible pet ownership. HOA will determine other possible limitations or guidelines.