Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Home-sharing
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 1999

What we do

Pacific Gardens completed construction in September, 2009.
We have 4.37 acres on the Chase River in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. With a view of Mount Benson (and sunsets), the property is a delightful piece of country in the city covered with trees, a heritage orchard, seasonal pond and wildflowers.
Our 25-unit building is designed to maximize green space and provide the best opportunities for social interaction. Our common house includes a kitchen, dining room, lounge, office, children’s playroom, craft room, woodworking shop, exercise room and soundproof room for music practice, plus two guest rooms.
Each unit is self-contained with its own kitchen and individually-owned (strata-titled condominium), and includes shared ownership of the land and common amenities. The units range in size from one-bedroom to three-bedroom-and-den.
At the moment we do not have any for sale. However, we may have others available in the future, so please contact us to find out if we have a home that’s right for you.
Pacific Gardens is a haven of serenity in the city. Down by the river in the forest of fir trees, you can imagine yourself far away from civilization; yet we are within a block of the bus and are minutes by car or cycle from downtown and local shopping. An elementary school, a high school, and Vancouver Island University are within walking distance.
Pacific Gardens Cohousing is committed to using non-toxic products, is non-smoking and scent-free, and has been built to high environmental standards.
The community is multigenerational and inclusive of all people who genuinely care about living in harmony with the Earth and each other.

Our Mission

Vision Statement:
We aspire to be a thriving, multigenerational, environmentally conscious community that celebrates connection with each other and personal growth while having fun!
Mission Statement:
At Pacific Gardens we value the energy, wisdom and voices of all members, and practice a shift from “me” to “we”. We share and steward our resources, care for each other, and work to reduce our environmental footprint for the well-being of ourselves, the wider community, and future generations.

  • Purpose
  • Home-sharing
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Activities
  • Farming
  • Experiences

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1999
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2009
  • Started living together
  • 40 Total members
  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
52

How to join

Come on a tour, go to a potluck, attend a community meeting, and participate in a cohousing conversation to learn about what it’s like to live in cohousing and explore mutual expectations.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Contact us for a tour (donations welcome), stay in one of our guest rooms, or join us at a potluck or one of our many events.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Modified Consensus

Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

Owners and renters have the same rights and responsibilities.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes (0 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Members and residents, including renters, are expected to give some form of community contribution, be it serving on a committee, helping in the kitchen, working in the garden, or doing building maintenance.
Monthly strata fees are charged, as our legal structure is that of a condominium or strata.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Large Scale Kitchen, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary type

  • Vegan Only

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • WWOOF'ing, Guest Farming
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Baha'i Faith
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions
  • Unitarian Universalist

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a single individual, couple, or Family Trust

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Community type

  • Cohousing

    Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
    interaction while maintaining independence.

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

  • Hydro

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    4.37 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • British Columbia, Canada

Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community

Promoted Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
6 months ago

House for Sale at Valley Oaks Village Chico, CA

Welcome to 1997 Wild Oak Lane in Chico, CA— a beautifully maintained 4 bedroom/3 bathroom 1,620 SqFt home nestled in an established Cohousing community. Step inside to discover a spacious open floor plan, which bamboo flooring, and generous natural lighting. The downstairs offers a bedroom, and bathroom off the main living room. The spacious dining room and kitchen has quartz countertop overlay and will lead you out to a bonus 11×12 fully enclosed porch. The upstairs provides laundry hookups, 2 additional bedrooms, including a large loft, and a bathroom with a jacuzzi tub.. The spacious main bedroom features an en suite bathroom and ample closet space. The back patio has low maintenance patio pavers, a new 6’x8′ shed along with a 220V Level 2 EV charger. See listing on Zillow.com COHOUSING DESCRIPTION – chicocohousing.org Valley Oaks Village was designed using the Cohousing model, built in 1996 with 28 homes on about 5 acres. We have numerous shared amenities, such as a large community building (“Common House”) with a kitchen, multipurpose dining room, lounge with wood stove, guest rooms, rec room, laundry, as well as a pool and sauna. Other shared amenities include a workshop/arts and crafts room, bike sheds, large grassy lawn, playground, pond, gardens and orchards. The neighborhood was designed to promote interactions between residents with picturesque pathways, benches and gathering areas. Valley Oaks Village is right next to Bidwell Park and Big Chico Creek with its running, hiking, horseback riding and park trails with a bike path to either downtown and Chico State University or upper Bidwell Park. Price- $470,000
Offer
  • Forming Communities
4 months ago

Join us in Our Adventure of Co-Creating a Life of Peace, Love, and Abundance Together!

LOOKING FOR OUR NEW FAMILY OF CO CREATORS TO JOIN OUR ADVENTURE! Message us to schedule a visit! More about us and our vision below! Read on and we look forward to hearing from you soon if you feel in alignment with our vision! A forming and co-created spiritually-oriented intentional community and homestead nestled in the beautiful woods of Northern Michigan. We are focused on self-awareness, free and open spiritual/consciousness development, sustainable living, self sufficiency, growing organic food, building small energy efficient homes/dwellings, peace, and freedom in all things. We are looking to build a community of like minded souls that share in our vision of creating a harmonious and sustainable way of life that is close to nature and focused on living from the heart/soul. Seeking kind, compassionate, caring, and emotionally mature souls who are good at non violent communication, resolving conflict peacefully, and working together. The community property is well on its way to sustainability already with a fruit orchard with over 18 apple trees and a variety of plum and pear trees. The property also has 2 very large organic gardens covering around 3 acres in total combined size filled with organic healthy vegetables for community self sufficiency, farm market selling, and food preserving (canning). We have plans to build a couple energy efficient green houses in the near future! We are also getting 30-40 chickens for egg production within the next month. Also considering a couple cows or goats for milk. We currently have 3 houses on the homestead property that are available to new community members for rent or work trade or a combination of both! The main community house has potentially 6 bedrooms available as well. We have plans to build multiple small/tiny homes and cabins in the beautiful woods here for members that are energy efficient and off grid with renewable clean energy/electricity and rainwater harvesting. We are working on a community in
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
4 months ago

3000sf House+Apartment, Rosewind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA

We are a retired couple who are downsizing, still living within the community. We are selling our large, flexible, comfortably rustic house, perfect for a multigenerational household, a family with kids or for 2 separate households. It’s 3000 square feet on 3 levels. The house is on a slope, with 2 main entrances. At one time it housed a large blended family. The current setup is a 2250 square foot, 2 bath main house with a 700 square foot rental apartment, also called an auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU). There is a staircase between the main and lower floor, with a lockable door. If desired, the ADU kitchen can be removed. The main floor has a very large kitchen/dining area, large living room, two small bedrooms, a bathroom with 2 sinks and a shower, a laundry room and a large mudroom. The non-bearing wall between the 2 bedrooms can be removed to turn it back to a single primary bedroom. The top floor has two bedrooms, one of which is primary with a large bright sitting area, and a large open middle area between them (game room, TV room, kids sleeping area, etc.). There is a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, no shower. The lower floor is the ADU, a finished storage area and a stand-up “crawl space“ which is used as a second pantry and storage. Attached to the house there is also a 150 sq ft wood paneled office/hobby space with its own electric and propane lines. Features: – straw bale construction, which is energy-efficient, great sound insulation, and provides a warm, soft, feeling. -very large functional kitchen with a long granite countertop. The dining area fits 10 people. -natural construction, with solid maple floors in the middle and upper level, marmoleum floor in kitchen and oak floor in the lower level. The two small bedrooms have painted wood floors. The doors are all solid wood. -large, functional, low maintenance patio area. Room for a table for eight and an additional sitting area. Propane hook ups for grills and smokers. -min

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