Cohousing & Cooperative Housing Mandate

Overview

The standard housing model relies on individual ownership of rarely used assets (lawnmowers, guest rooms, large private kitchens), resulting in high embodied carbon and waste. Furthermore, fragmented living arrangements contribute to a loneliness epidemic, weakening community resilience during climate shocks.

This policy shifts the focus from “energy-efficient independent units” to “resource-efficient communities.” It establishes a municipal framework to incentivize Cohousing and Housing Cooperatives (Co-ops) through “Radical Resource Sharing.”

Policy 1: The “Share-Shed” Zoning Overlay

Concept: Current zoning often penalizes shared living by mandating excessive private amenities. This overlay creates a “Density for Sharing” swap: developers get higher density allowances if they reduce private footprints in favor of verifiable shared assets.

The Policy: Municipalities shall adopt a Cohousing Overlay Zone applicable to residential areas. To qualify, developments must meet the “Share-Shed” Standard:

1. Common House Mandate: Minimum 15% of gross floor area must be dedicated to communal use (commercial-grade kitchen, dining hall, co-working spaces).
2. Guest Room Banking: Private units are permitted to be “Micro-Suites” (smaller than standard minimums) by pooling guest accommodations into shared, bookable suites.
3. The “Library of Things”: Mandatory shared infrastructure for high-carbon tools (laundry, woodworking, gardening) to negate the need for private ownership.

Why It Works:

• Decarbonization: Reduces embodied carbon by eliminating redundant appliances and square footage.
• Resilience: The “Common House” serves as a built-in emergency hub during power outages or heat waves.

Real-World Example:

• Vienna, Austria: The city uses a “Social Sustainability” scoring matrix for new developments. Developers must propose how residents will interact and share resources to win land bids. This effectively mandates the community-building aspect of cohousing into all social housing.

Policy 2: The “Public Land for Public Good” Pipeline

Concept: The biggest barrier to Co-ops and Cohousing is the high cost of land. Speculative developers will always outbid community groups. This policy removes land from the speculative market.

The Policy:

1. Surplus Land Priority: City-owned surplus land is offered first to Community Land Trusts (CLTs) or registered Co-op Groups on long-term nominal leases ($1/year for 99 years).
2. The “Social Value” Tender: Public land is not sold to the highest bidder, but awarded to the group with the best social and environmental proposal.

Why It Works:

• Affordability: Removing the land cost allows Co-ops to offer rents 30-50% below market rates.
• Control: Ensuring land stays in community hands prevents future displacement/gentrification.

Real-World Examples:

• Vancouver, Canada: The City leased municipal land valued at over $100M to the Community Land Trust Foundation of BC for a nominal rate. This enabled the construction of 58 affordable homes at 1700 Kingsway that would have been financially impossible otherwise.
• Amsterdam, Netherlands: The “Zelfbouw” (Self-Build) policy sets aside specific plots exclusively for citizen-led co-ops. This enabled projects like De Warren, a carbon-positive co-op built by its residents with a massive shared “energy facade.”

Policy 3: Zoning for “Invisible Density” & Functional Families

Concept: Many zoning codes define a “household” as related family members, effectively making co-living by unrelated adults illegal. This prevents “forming groups” from retrofitting large existing homes into cohousing.

The Policy:

1. “Functional Family” Definition: Amend zoning definitions of “household” to allow unlimited unrelated individuals to live together if they function as a single economic unit (removing “roommate caps”).
2. Cluster Housing: Allow “Cottage Courts”—multiple smaller detached units on a single large single-family lot—without requiring land subdivision, provided they share a common driveway and garden.

Why It Works:

• Immediate Action: Unlocks existing housing stock for co-living without new construction.
• Missing Middle: Allows gentle density in established neighborhoods.

Real-World Example:

• Kingston, Ontario: The city is exploring zoning reforms to allow “missing middle” density and recognize “forming groups.” Advocates are using the city’s climate emergency declaration to argue that sharing distinct, smaller units on a single lot (Cluster Housing) is a key climate strategy.

Implementation Roadmap

Phase	Action Item
Immediate	Audit Surplus Land: Identify 3 city-owned parcels suitable for a pilot Co-op/CLT partnership.
Year 1	Pass “Co-Living” Overlay: Remove caps on unrelated occupants (“Functional Family” definition) and reduce parking minimums for developments with car-share programs.
Year 2	Establish Revolving Loan Fund: Create a seed fund to help co-op groups pay for initial architectural drawings and legal fees (often the biggest barrier to entry).
Year 3	Social Value Procurement: Formally adopt a policy where public land sales are judged on social/environmental merit, not just price.