Community Spotlight: Heartwood Commons

Last month we introduced Heartwood Commons in Tulsa, OK, a new 55+ cohousing community that will be ready for move-in early this year. The great news is that they still have a few homes left for sale! We mentioned that one of the advantages of joining an existing community is that you don’t need to invest the time and energy to develop one from the ground up — which usually takes at least a few years. In this issue, we paraphrase an article from Heartwood’s latest newsletter. To learn more about Heartwood Commons, check out their website.

Heartwood says…

We are a group of friendly, engaged, and proactive adults who are creating Tulsa’s first cohousing community. Heartwood Commons includes 36 privately owned, energy-efficient homes as well as shared amenities designed to promote a healthy lifestyle, accessibility, and social connections for successful aging in place. 

What does this mean? The goal of aging in place is to enable older adults to age gracefully while staying connected to their communities, maintaining social relationships, and enjoying a good quality of life. A highly desirable goal indeed, but one not always so easily achieved in traditional single-family homes and spread-out neighborhoods, with scattered friends and family.

Cohousing communities like Heartwood Commons offer a unique opportunity to successfully age in place by intentionally removing many of the physical and social barriers commonly found in our society. Heartwood’s homes are built using universal design principles to accommodate our needs as they change. They are all on one level and right-sized for a single person or couple. Guest rooms in the Common House mean you don’t need one in your own living space. Heartwood homes have lots of natural light, wider doorways, no-lip showers with grab bars, solid-surface floors, lever handles and casement windows. They also feature in-home storm and fire protection.

Home costs at Heartwood Commons are among the lowest of any cohousing community currently under construction. Tulsa features a friendly, small-town atmosphere, all the amenities of a bigger city without the hassles, and a low cost of living. People are joining us from across the country.

 

Community and connection easily found

When we move in, we’ll be able to see our neighbors coming and going across the common green. We’ll meet in the Common House for morning coffee, shared meals and celebrations, creative and fun activities, and opportunities to learn. Our large front porches will be perfect for informal get-togethers. Whether we’re collecting the mail or putting out the trash or compost, we’ll likely encounter a neighbor.

By design, we are creating a supportive network of caring neighbors, which means our children and other relatives have less responsibility for monitoring our well-being. Need someone to watch your home or your pet while you are out of town? Done! Looking for a companion to go to a play, the ballet, the opera, a ball game or a movie? There’s usually someone available and interested. Need a few meals after surgery? We’ve got you covered! 

Building our community is about so much more than simply building our homes. Throughout construction, and way before, we’ve made sure to focus on building connections and relationships among our future neighbors both local and across the country.

Heartwood Commons amenities

Heartwood Commons includes the following amenities:

  • Art studio/craft room in the Common House
  • Community garden
  • Monarch waystation
  • Dog park
  • Walking paths
  • Storm protection in each home
  • Fire pit and conversation hubs
  • Compost and recycling station
  • Proximity to Riverpark’s walking/biking trails and Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Park

As funds permit, we plan to add:

  • A workshop
  • Tool lending library
  • Contemplative space
  • Greenhouse
  • Other desired features

We are looking for a few more neighbors to complete our community. We invite you to discover Heartwood Commons by attending one of our Zoom events. Choose where you live and how you live. Heartwood Commons offers a great choice!

 

 

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Tags: forming communities, living in cohousing

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