Sunward Cohousing

Sunward's members, around 65 adults and 25 children, have a variety of cultures, races, religious and spiritual preferences, sexual orientations, and educational and occupational backgrounds.

Sunward has its origins in 1993 when Susan Cameron, Donna White and other founders began to discuss how to bring cohousing to Ann Arbor, inspired by successful efforts outside of Michigan.

The early members became developers by forming a limited liability corporation called Ann Arbor Alpha.

Kathryn McCamant and her partner Charles Durrett conducted two workshops to help members design the site plan and Common House.

The success of Sunward prompted the creation of two more independent cohousing communities in the area, Great Oak and Touchstone.

Sunward is situated on 20 acres (eight hectares) of land with 10-acre (40,000 m2) mature oak and hickory woods contains paths, a nature study area, hidden hammocks, and rolling hills, and it forms a large, common "backyard" to the north of the tightly clustered homes.

Two ponds, part of a tributary system of Honey Creek, with a footbridge and an earthen dam between them, lie to the south of the homes.

[citation needed] The built and paved area of about five acres (two hectares) in the middle of the site was formerly a backfilled gravel pit.

Sunward's founders chose to build tightly clustered homes on this land, conserving green and open space, and leaving the woods and natural features mostly intact.

As a pedestrian community, Sunward restricts motor vehicles to the eastern periphery of its land, allowing members to visit and children to play in safety on its paths.

Sunward's legal structure states that homes are privately owned inside, up to the paint on the interior walls, while the community owns the rest of the structure and everything outside the home.The Common House is the heart of Sunward community life, where members cook, eat, play, hang out, celebrate, meet, host events, and work together.

Although the entire community retains the authority to make major decisions, much of the day-to-day business is delegated to standing committees and ad hoc work groups.

These fall into five main areas: leadership, community life, Common House operations, buildings and infrastructure, and land management.

Examples include plowing snow, facilitating meetings, tending trees, managing finances, mopping floors, etc.