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By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

Originating in Denmark, the cohousing movement uses architecture, site planning, group decisions and rituals to foster interaction among neighbors. There are a few such projects in the area, notably Muir Commons in Davis. They provide a mix of private and common spaces.

A short walk from Sutter Health baseball stadium, Washington Commons units are priced at market rate. The development has all the privacy of a typical condominium but with common spaces for meals, recreation, exercise, a garden, child play areas and other activities. A parking garage is tucked beneath the apartments.

Although most were strangers when they purchased, future Washington Commons residents teamed up to buy the half-acre parcel, hire an architect and developer, and make joint design decisions—including tough calls when construction costs shot up 20% during the pandemic. They have formed rewarding new friendships.

One of the first to buy was Anne Geraghty, a vital 81-year-old community activist who had a long career at the California Air Resources Board. Geraghty, the catalyst to get Washington Commons going, was founding president of WalkSacramento, a nonprofit with a record of promoting safe, walkable communities. Her twobedroom unit is on the top floor.

“Community is critical to our health and well-being,” she says. “Now we have research that shows loneliness can be worse for you than smoking. At Washington Commons, we will support each other in ways we can’t even imagine right now.”

Most residents are retired, but all are active, energetic people who want something more than a typical residential experience.

Meeting some of them, I thought of a recent magazine article that helps