Ravens' Roost Cohousing

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

  • Updated on: Sep 19, 2024 (about 7 months ago)
  • Created on: Dec 10, 2012 (over 12 years ago)

Mission Statement

Vision: Our neighborhood is a vibrant, diverse community that plays, lives, and works together to create a sustainable and enriching life. See our Values and Our Commitments to Each Other under "About Us" on our web site.

Community Description

Units for Sale: 1) 3 bedroom 2 bath up/down . $525,000. Available August 2024.

2) 2 bedroom 1 bath flat. $425,000. Available Sept 2024

for Info call 907-399-2051

Ravens’ Roost is Anchorage’s first and only Cohousing neighborhood. It has a total of 35 homes. There are 32 owner occupied homes and 3 rental units owned by members of the community. Ravens’ Roost is set on 6 acres of land with large sections of native birch and spruce.

Uniques features of Ravens’ Roost include:

  1. A large common house with kitchen, dining room, library, kids room, laundry room and 2 guest rooms.

  2. A large workshop equipped with multiple building and wood-working tools, ski and bicycle maintenance areas, sewing/craft area, and exercise equipment.

  3. Outside of the Common House are raised garden beds for personal use and community dinners. We have a kids fort & swings, a hoop house for extending the growing season and an orchard with apple and cherry trees planted in 2022. We also have a resident beekeeper.

  4. The site is conveniently located in southeast Anchorage with easy access to arterial roads, yet still nestled in the foothills of the Chugach Mountain Range. We are close to shopping, restaurants, 2 Universities (UAA and APU), 3 hospitals, and lots of trails for mountain biking, hiking, walking, skiing (cross country and downhill) and snow boarding. A paved bike path connects to many other paved bike paths, making making Ravens’ Roost bike friendly and accessible to many parts of Anchorage by bike.

  5. Ravens’ Roost is located within a two mile radius of a High School, three elementary schools and a Jr. High School. We have private and charter schools near by as well.

  6. We are located across the road from Ruth Arcand Park with many paths for daily forest walks and xcross country skiing.

We currently have 35 households, many from Anchorage but others from Fairbanks, AK, the east coast, California and the Southwest. We are a multigenerational community from infants to seniors with diverse backgrounds. Detailed bios are available on our website. We are not actively seeking new neighbors but will waitlist interested people. Please contact us through our website: ravensroostcoho.org

About

  • Type(s): Cohousing (individual homes within group property)
  • Programs & Activities: Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Location: Suburban

Housing

  • Status: We have land we have developed on
  • Area: 6.2 acres
  • Current Residence Types: Multi-family homes
  • Current Number of Residences: 35
  • Planned Number of Residences: 35
  • Planned Residence Types: Multi-family homes
  • Housing Provided:
    • Purchase
    • Rental
  • Land Owned By: The entire community membership

Membership

  • Adult Members: 68
  • Child Members: 4
  • Non-Member Residents: 10
  • Percent Women: 51-60%
  • Percent Men: 41-49%
  • Percent Transgender: 0%
  • Percent Non-Binary: 1-10%
  • Visitors Accepted: Yes
  • Visitor Process: Please contact us by emailing  info@ravensroostcoho.org to learn more about our community and set up a visit.
  • Open to New Members: Yes
  • Membership Process: We encourage people who want to live in Ravens Roost to learn about the rights and responsibilities involved in living in community and if seriously interested to come and visit.

Government

  • Decision Making: Consensus + (everyone agrees, except for up to 3 people.)
  • Identified Leader: No
  • Leadership Core Group: Yes
  • Additional Comments: Ravens' Roost has a Coordinating Team that is responsible for overseeing other Teams who focus on Development, Membership, Marketing, Process, Landscape, Common House, etc.

Economics

  • Dues, Fees, or Shared Expenses: Yes
  • Monthly Fees($): 400
  • Shared Income: None
  • Required Weekly Labor Contribution: 2
  • Open to Members with Existing Debt: Yes (some debt)
  • Additional Comments: Community-wide Agreements govern our day-to-day community operations. Decisions are made through a proposal and consensus gathering process, via one Core Team and several specialty working teams. All members contribute time, labor and or expertise to carry out activities of the community, including community meals, maintenance, and cleaning. The workload varies but averages 4-6 hours/month.

Sustainability Practices

  • Energy Infrastructure: We are connected to the grid.
  • Current Renewable Energy Generation: 0%, or close to 0%
  • Energy Sources: Clean Energy from the Grid
  • Planned Renewable Energy Generation: 0%, or close to 0%
  • Current Food Produced: Up to 25%
  • Planned Food Produced: Up to 25%
  • Food Produced Locally: Up to 25%

Lifestyle

  • Common Facilities:
    • Common House
    • Garden(s)
    • Greenhouse(s)
    • Library
    • Workshop
    • Outbuilding(s)
    • Large Scale Kitchen
    • Fire pit
    • Swingsets & play areas
    • Gym or sports area
    • Internet
    • Children\'s play room, Sewing & crafts room, 2 Guest rooms
  • Internet Available: Yes, individuals provide it
  • Internet Fast?: Yes, exceptionally.
  • Cellphone Service: Good for most people.
  • Shared Meals: About once a week
  • Dietary Practices:
    • Omnivorous (plants and animals)
    • Paleo (no grains, dairy, processed foods, or legumes)
    • Local
    • Organic (no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers)
    • GMO Free (only non-genetically modified organisms)
    • Vegetarian Only
    • Mostly Vegetarian
    • Dairy-Free
    • Gluten-Free
  • Dietary Choice or Restrictions: No - people may eat however they wish.
  • Special Diets OK: Sometimes
  • Alcohol Use: Yes, used occasionally.
  • Tobacco Use: No, this community does not permit tobacco use.
  • Common Spiritual Practice(s):
    • Ecumenical (accepts all religions or spiritual practices)
    • Eclectic (integrates multiple religious or spiritual beliefs)
    • Not a particularly spiritual or religious community
    • Christian
    • Buddhist
    • Jewish
    • Protestant
    • Lutheran
    • Catholic
    • Quaker
    • Unitarian Universalist
    • Atheist
    • Agnostic
    • Mennonite
  • Spiritual Practice Expected?: No
  • Education Style(s):
    • Home Schooling
    • Private School off the property
    • Public Schooling
    • Up to each family or individual
  • Healthcare Options: Up to each family, household, or individual

Cohousing

  • Building Site Status: Completed
  • Year Construction Completed: 2018
  • Number of Housing Units: 35
  • Has a Shared Common Building: Yes
  • Architect: Kraus-Fitch, Amherst Mass, Pioneer Consulting, Anchorage AK
  • Developer: Ravens Roost Cohousing LLC. Owner developed.
  • Commercial Lender: 1st National Bank of Alaska

Photo Gallery

Community Network or Organization Affiliations

Coho/US

Fair Housing Laws

This community acknowledges that their listing does not include any potential violations of the Fair Housing Law, or that they do not provide housing. For any questions about this topic please see our Content Policies and contact FIC with any questions or concerns: directory@ic.org.

Keywords

Alaska, garden, permaculture, community, neighbors, sustainability, recycling, peaceful, green