Cherry Hill Cohousing set out to create a living environment that encourages a strong sense of community, supports our need for privacy, makes life affordable, and provides a secure and enriched setting for children and adults. We have a place where people know their neighbors in a meaningful way, a neighborhood where different traditions and values are respected, and where we can all have a sense of security and belonging. Even after so many years together, we are still a work in progress, continuing to get better and better at living our values and goals.
Our group purchased a 23-acre meadow site in North Amherst where we built 32 units and a large common house, moving in June – September 1994. We built a clustered mix of single, duplex, and triplex buildings on seven of those acres. The rest is field and woods, surrounded by town lands.
Residents own their own homes, as well as a share of the land and the common house. The common house is a place for weekly community dinners, meetings, entertainment, and other public and private functions. It includes a large kitchen/dining room, children’s playroom, guest rooms, laundry facilities, library, sauna, exercise room, and recycling center.
We have optional (but well-attended) dinners two nights a week, gardens, play and work spaces, hiking trails, and other shared amenities chosen by residents that have social and economic advantages.
The community is a short walk from a municipal lake; a recreation park with tennis, swimming, and playing fields; a small shopping center; a library; the university; and public transportation.
We envision a thriving community in which we celebrate life’s joys and give solace in times of sorrow; strive to be the “someone else who will do it” as a gift of generosity to honor our neighbors and out of love for our planet; seek to transform ourselves through the creative forces of conflict and forgiveness; welcome differences as connecting bridges while respecting healthy boundaries; and share our physical, emotional, and spiritual resources in the spirit of the “co” in cohousing.
We are an owner-occupied community. Individuals who are interested in learning how to become a future unit owner should visit our website and read the ‘Membership’ page for more information.
People may visit any time, but if you are interested in joining our waiting list, read our website’s Membership page; then request a community tour, by contacting John Porcino at john.porcino(at)cohousing.com.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Decisions proceed unless someone has a reasoned objection.
Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.
Functioning by Dynamic Governance (sociocracy), with a set of working circles including a Coordinating Circle.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Regular HOA fees: Yes
Labor: Yes (6+ hours/month)
Our guidelines ask for 6-8 hours work per month perperson. Reality is that there is a wide variation in work hours and types of jobs.
We are legally a condominium and collect condo fees monthly.
Common House, Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Swingsets & play areas, Gym or sports area, Internet
Smaller municipalities with local services but rural character.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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