Cranberry Commons Cohousing is a community of households that live in a cluster of homes in an "urban village" setting. Through managing our community and sharing common spaces, activities, and equipment, we enjoy co-operative and friendly relationships with our neighbours.

Our cohousing community was created by people who
wanted to design housing that would support greater
social interconnectness while making efficient use of
resources. In addition to its social focus, Cranberry Commons holds respect for the environment as one of its highest values. We have attempted to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of the community design, starting with the selection of the site right up to the solar hot water panels that were installed on the roof.

With the support and services of our selected professional team, we managed the challenges of the development process: securing a site, negotiating with the regulatory authorities for development approvals, securing the financing, building membership, and creating an organizational structure that allowed for an effective and timely consensus decision making process. CDC Cohousing Development Consulting was the prime consultant on the project and provided development management and community building services from 1998 to completion.

We formed a not-for-profit corporation and acted as the developer to complete a 26,662 square foot, 22-home multi-family residential building. Construction began in October of 2000 and we moved into our homes a year later.

Each household at Cranberry Commons privately owns a complete, self-contained home. Our homes are centered around extensive shared facilities. Community connection is supported by the physical layout of our site and by the involvement of all members in the development and operation of the community using consensus decision making.