An accidental encounter at a Catholic singles dance at the Disneyland hotel led to one thing after another. Susan the elementary teacher and Charlie the doctoral student got married, spent a couple of years in a Santa Monica commune and migrate to Ames, Iowa studying Sociology and teaching urban planning. Chicago beckoned with its rowdy politics and cosmopolitan squalor. After a decade and with their four -year-old Gina in tow they found Oak Park.

Community lovers they discovered cohousing on a 2017 trip to Amsterdam seeking shared housing alternatives to conventional single family dwellings. Susan, the organizer, found several others willing to undertake a cohousing project in Oak Park within a year. Conversations led to meetings led to field trips led to proposals. Sites were found. Projects proposed. Hopes were dashed over and over again. “Is this even possible?” Susan would fret. Then it happened. Members invested serious money and we purchased a site. Builder Jonathan negotiated the deal and managed the complex permissions. Construction is underway and on schedule for Fall 2025 occupancy.