Meet Your Neighbors

I grew up on a large working farm owned by the International Harvester Company in the 40s and 50s, where farming machinery and farming methods were tested.  Family farming was still possible, although big corporate agri-business was right around the corner.  Roaming the fields and learning to swim in the small lakes dug out for irrigation are ingrained in my memory as significant to the person I became.  Being out of doors and physically active has always been important to me.  At age 85, I now say “oh, to be sailing and downhill skiing and climbing sand dunes again”.  I continue to swim, practice yoga, and bicycle on my safe, solid “Townie”, in town when traffic is light, and I dig in dirt with my garden tools whenever I can.  When sitting still, I read and learn, and am trying to write ‘legacy stories’ with the help of others. 

My favorite feature of our cohousing development is the planned rooftop garden, and the other community-building spaces.  Being able to balance private time with the friendship of neighbors of all ages is appealing to me, along with the mission of our cohousing community to practice sharing resources and talents with interesting and diverse people and living as sustainably and collaboratively as possible.  Children of all ages delight me and keep me energized.  Early child and family development was my graduate field of study, with clinical work and consultation in my work history.  My three children, five grandchildren and my former husband Tom’s two daughters and grandson are the loves of my life, and I hope that many of my new cohousing neighbors become my even more extended family.

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.

Sheila
I have lived in Oak Park over 40 years and joined the Oak Park Commons Cohousing Community in 2019, along with my spouse Sean Taylor. Reluctant at first because I greatly value alone time, I soon realized that with cohousing I can have both privacy and a rich social life. I also look forward to simplifying our life, by reducing the space we now occupy and tossing unneeded, unnecessary stuff.

Born into a large family in the southwest Chicago suburbs, I love the diversity of Oak Park and all it offers. I’m a long-time member of the League of Women Voters local chapter and greatly respect its active leadership.

I try to stay physically active. Currently my fitness routine includes mostly walking, with some boring strength and toning exercises. I’d love new friends to put some fun into this routine!

Sean
Born in Wisconsin, weaned in Maywood, I'm the third generation of my family to live in Oak Park. My wife, Sheila, and I were married, raised a family and owned a business here for over 40 years. One might call this home.

Along the way, I’ve attended school at U of I, Carleton College and U of C. and have lived in Boston, San Francisco, Paris and Memphis. 

As a young man, I lived in an urban commune in Cambridge, MA. I found it to be an intriguing, engaging, trust building experience that rewarded me with some lifetime friendships.

I first read about cohousing in the WSJ 25 years ago and was delighted to find this group working on the creation of a cohousing community here. The evolution of a supportive, engaging, sharing community is very exciting to me. There is still much to be defined, created, solved and resolved about the workings of our community, but the thought of working with sincere people toward that end is invigorating. 

I love to sail and have raced in three Macs. Bicycle touring is another love and with a neighbor I’ve bicycled from here to Seattle, a state or two at a time. (Anybody want to ride to Washington, DC?) Cooking brings me great joy. The results can be so delicious and the sharing of the food so satisfying. I can’t wait for our first meal together in our new home! 

Hi!  I am incredibly excited about joining this cohousing community.  I grew up in the Chicago suburbs.  As a middle child, I have always been something of a sharer, but simultaneously wanting a space of my own.  Cohousing is perfect that way--your space that you own, plus the opportunity to hang out with the gang when you need to.  You can just wander up to the common rooms.  

I am basically semi-retired, having worked in IT for over 20 years, but I still work part time.  I live generally car-free and commute by bike, bus and foot as necessary.  I am also looking forward to some car-sharing in the Commons.  For downtime, I read and do jigsaw puzzles.  I also like movies--I will be arranging movie nights in the common space, so get your popcorn ready!

I’m the Allen with two l’s. The other Alan in our community has only one l. He does seem to be a nice guy. I will leave it to others to judge whether he is deficient or I am excessive in l’s.

I have been an Atheist since adolescence so the congregation of my Unitarian Church decided I would be a good fit on the Board – a couple of times. I’m a member of Third Unitarian in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. The sense of community I felt there was one of the motivators for me to join our cohousing group.

I am an old guy who has been married twice and has no kids I am aware of. First marriage in my youth ended in divorce. Second marriage started in my 40’s and ended when my wife died earlier this year. I moved to Oak Park for that second marriage and have become more and more connected to the place with each passing year. See the essay I wrote about Oak Park for our cohousing group.

Currently, I am the self-appointed amateur photographer who is documenting the construction of our building. I took my first pictures of the series at our ceremonial ground-breaking in September, 2023! Then, there was a gap until May, 2024. I shot pictures of the lonely backhoe that sat on our land next to our old ceremonial pile of dirt left over from the previous year. Currently (September, 2024) I am getting some shots with my drone as they finish up work on the second floor.

An attempt by Mike’s friend to set him up failed miserably, as he was distracted by the girl down the table talking about science and art, a girl from Michigan by the name of Susan. The common name aside, Mike was intrigued.

After finally wrestling a neuroscience degree from Northwestern, Susan headed to the state where they legit fence the ponds to keep the gators out. Confident he knew to zigzag if chased, Mike happily followed. But, the northern city girl eventually decided the Gainesville swamps were a bit too much and took a job up the road with NIH to help tackle traumatic brain injury.

The special kind of anxiety that comes with a worldwide novel virus aside, we’d totally recommend everyone have a pandemic baby! At least so far. Sheltering at home, Mom had a particularly gentle pregnancy. And, since the day Dad was coaxed into catching him, Evers has had a rather full dose of his parents.

Long ago, Mike had the realization that relationships were the singular stuff of life. Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time is great and all; sharing the experience with someone is simply better. In your early years, life enables relationships. Then, the script surprisingly, disappointingly flips and it mostly disables them. Robust relationships need proximity. And, whatever the form, that’s community. So, Mike has lived in informal cohousing settings for years and has always hoped to someday make it official.

And, it’s those same beliefs that have them focused on another chapter in Chicagoland, this time pursuing proximity to Grandma and Grandpa, seeking robustness for Evers.

I’m a born and bred Michigander who has been living in Los Angeles for almost thirty years. I’ve been planning to retire early from my librarian job and knew I wanted to relocate to the Chicago area for some time. I’ve visited many times and the last time I was in Oak Park, I found myself envisioning a life there, rather than in the heart of Chicago, which was my original plan. Essentially, I’m ready for something quieter, but still active and cultured, with high walkability. 

I was thrilled to find Oak Park Commons, through their website and real estate listings, as I was immediately drawn to their philosophy and vision. I love the idea of having an instant friend and support group upon moving to my new home. How nice to be part of a group that will plan and care for their new home together, as well as socialize with and support one another. 

I am a highly curious person. I love to read, watch TV shows and movies, go walking, and meet up with friends. I love nature and animals; in my retirement, I hope to take up bird watching and volunteer at a shelter. Other interests include art and architecture, which I am sometimes incredibly moved by (a documentary on Louis Sullivan actually made me cry) so I am thrilled to make my home in area with such a wealth of historical architecture. Looking for someone to explore the nature, art, and architecture in and around Oak Park? That’s me!