East Lake Commons CoHousing

East Lake Commons is a cohousing community located five miles (eight minutes) from downtown Atlanta, and several miles southeast of the Little Five Points neighborhood. Completed in 2001, it includes 67 townhomes with 10 rental apartments attached, a 4500-sq-ft common house with classroom, office, playroom, media room, woodworking room, workout room, and guest rooms. A playing field and children's playground surround the common house. About half of the 20-acre site is dedicated to housing and parking on the perimeter; the remainder includes natural woodlands, wildlife corridor, and an organic garden with beehives, blueberry groves, shiitake mushroom logs, and a spring-fed pond. Homes are clustered around pedestrian courtyards and walkways.

Children can run and play with their friends in a safe and nurturing environment; teenagers have supportive role models; and seniors are actively integrated into the community. We are an intergenerational community with diverse religious, ethnic, cultural, and racial backgrounds, and differently abled. What binds us together is knowing and caring about our neighbors.

We manage the community ourselves using a consensus decision-making process. A backup voting procedure is also in place, with each owner getting two votes. Core community values include sustainability, visitability, diversity, affordability, and community.