Colorful flower garden with a stone wall and wooden house in the background.

Germantown Commons

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Home-sharing
  • Urban

Founding year

  • 2012

What we do

We are a welcoming, urban community built in 2015 in the heart of Tennessee’s capital.
Our cohousing community includes 25 small homes and a Common House with members ranging in age from 3 to 80, including singles and couples. Our community strives to be multi-cultural, multi-generational, and diverse with families and children.
Homes:
Square footage 659-1,320
1- or 2-BR flats to 3-BR townhomes
Ext. design of brick and hardy plank
Energy-efficient
Super insulation
Solar-ready infrastructure
Homes offer a private courtyard and rain garden, decks and patios
Our Common House is located on the corner of Taylor and 5th Ave North, 37208. Its glass walls and wrap-around porch overlooks an old cottonwood tree, perfect for swinging and other playful activities. Inside we have a dining room, fully-equipped kitchen, a children’s playroom, a cozy living room, activity room, guest bedrooms, and a laundry room. Our courtyard and rain garden include edible landscaping with creative gardening along wall trellises and raised beds.
Located on the Cumberland River, Nashville is known for its music industry and is central to publishing, banking, health care and a large number of colleges and universities, including Vanderbilt University. The entrepreneurial spirit of the city draws a variety of multicultural groups. The nearby downtown area offers popular attractions, including The Frist Art Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame, the world-renowned Ryman Auditorium, Bicentennial Mall and Farmers Market. The natural rolling hills that surround Nashville are beautiful year-round and call to outdoor enthusiasts. Our community is located near the Greenway, which connects Nashville’s Warner Parks, Radnor Lake, and Shelby Bottoms. Rivers and tributaries offer opportunities for fishing and canoeing, and Old Hickory Lake and Percy Priest Lake offer boating and swimming.
Nashville was once rated by Forbes Magazine as third among growing cities because of our quality of life with low housing prices and a pro-business environment. According to the 2011 article, “A high quality of life, a vibrant culture and music scene with diverse population makes Nashville a desirable place to live.”
At times we have homes open for sale. Please go to our website, sign up for our newsletter, and/or contact us at: germantowncohousing.com

Our Mission

Community and Diversity

  • Purpose
  • Home-sharing
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Activities
  • Property management

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2012
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2015
  • Started living together
  • 36 Total members
  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
38

How to join

The membership process would be to visit Germantown Commons, if a home is available, to meet with the homeowner. One would want to attend a Community Meeting and meet the community members, review the Homeowners Association documents and community agreements, and decide whether or not to purchase.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Please visit www.GermantownCohousing.com and contact us.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Full Consensus

Everyone must agree before moving forward.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

– Compassionate communication
– Respect for privacy
– Environmentally sustainable lifestyle
– A beautiful environment Commitment to the common good
– Meaningful and authentic interactions
– Honesty and transparency

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes
We intend to share cooking, cleaning, gardening, and other jobs.
There is a monthly homeowners association fee.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Workshop, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Recreational vehicles

Frequency of communal meals

  • 2-5 times per week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced
  • Hunting / Fishing

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use is prohibited in the community

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Urban

Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.

Community type

  • Cohousing

    Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
    interaction while maintaining independence.

Sustainability approach

  • Renewable energy systems

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    1 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Tennessee, United States

Germantown Commons

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
1 week ago

Beautiful 3+ Bed, 2.5 Bath Townhome in Established West Emerald CoHousing, Seattle

A rare home is available at West Emerald Cohousing, an established all-ages intentional community in West Seattle. For those considering a move to the Pacific Northwest—or hoping to join a mature community rather than one still in the forming stages—West Emerald offers decades of community life, beautiful gardens, shared resources and a peaceful setting within the city in a convenient location since 1999. This unit has a unique floor plan that is ideal for co-buying, co-living, or for one household. The home itself offers a flexible 3+ bedroom, 2.5 bath layout: Garden-level room with a separate exterior entrance and half bath—ideal for a home office, studio, guest space or client-facing business Main-level bedroom and full bath, laundry, making one-level living possible Open great room with large windows overlooking gardens filled with birdsong Well-designed kitchen with generous storage and pantry Two additional light-filled spacious bedrooms and a full bath upstairs Thoughtfully maintained and updated Located at the end of a common pathway for added privacy and garden views, Just feet from parking, which is out of view West Emerald community amenities include: Common House with gathering and activity spaces Community meals and events Mature gardens and shared outdoor spaces Workshop/maker spaces and bike barn Exercise room EV charging opportunity Excellent Metro access to Downtown Seattle just minutes away Nestled into a dell, it’s Seattle’s best-kept secret South Seattle College and lifelong learning, NW Wine Academy, the Seattle Chinese Garden are nearby, with easy access to Alki Beach, Lincoln Park, magnet schools, ferries, and the shops and restaurants of the West Seattle Junction. 6000 17th Ave SW, Seattle, WA Is a wonderful opportunity to have your own comfortable, private home while becoming part of a vibrant and well-established Seattle all-ages cohousing community. For more information contact the friendly Realtor at 206-579-9066, or at ki**********@**********te.com who will be happy to meet you there or do a facetime tour.
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
3 months ago

Do you feel called to help co-create a small, newly forming eco-spiritual community?

Old structures are crumbling. New ways of living are calling. We are answering that call. Wild Grace is an eco-spiritual community located in the Sierra foothills 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California. We recently completed new homes for those who feel called to our vision. Currently there are four of us living on this sacred 80 acres of land although we are a hub for an expanded neighborhood community. Many join us weekly for potlucks, expressive dance, Qi Gong, monthly musical gatherings, and seasonal celebrations in our temple, as well as tending to our orchard. We are excited to welcome others to join us on the land who are dedicating their lives to spiritual growth and ready to live in a more focused and intimate heart-centered lifestyle. Might that be you or someone you know? The fundamentals are simple. Spirit. We listen personally and collectively together most mornings, usually starting with a musical offering, a prayer, or a short reading, followed by about 40 minutes of what we call “sacred silence.” Heart Circles. About once a week we gather to share and listen. We are informed by authentic and compassionate communication practices. Nature. The land itself—an 80-acre oasis of field and forest perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River—calls for our stewardship in the gardens, orchard, greenhouses, and general care. In turn, nature feeds us abundantly, both literally and spiritually. Interbeing. We join with others to share inspiration and connection as we host monthly gatherings of song, story and prayer that draws from the larger community in addition to other events we share with our closer neighbors. As we attend to these fundamentals, Grace flows to and through us—often in “Wild” or unexpected ways. Grace catalyzes through us, but is not something we possess. Because we all are connected, we feel that Grace actively transforms n
Offer
Need
  • Events
2 weeks ago

Coastal Regeneration Immersion: Permaculture Design Certification in Jalisco, Mexico

Tropical Dry Forest Permaculture Design & Regenerative Stewardship Certification (PDC)12-Day Intensive | 120 Hours | Costalegre, Jalisco, Mexico Join us for an immersive Permaculture Design Certificate course set in the tropical dry forest bioregion of coastal Jalisco. This 120-hour intensive blends internationally recognized PDC curriculum with hands-on regenerative practice — combining ecological design, agroforestry, natural building, and community stewardship into one integrated learning experience. Lead Faculty Jorge Luis Gtz. Olarte (Arborescencia RedGenerativa) – Regenerative Design, Soil Biology & Agroforestry Ozzy Lusth (Survior & Xochiraíz) – Wilderness Resilience & Survival Skills Dave Collins (Capacha Coastal Conservation Center) – Bioarchitecture & Ecological Development What You’ll LearnThe course moves through six progressive phases: Permaculture & Ecological Literacy – ethics, principles, and reading the tropical dry forest landscape Water & Soil Systems – keyline design, water harvesting, living soils, and compost systems Horticulture – food garden design, propagation, and biological pest control Regenerative Food Systems – tropical agroforestry, food forest design, and guild planting Ecological Infrastructure – bamboo bioarchitecture, bioclimatic farm design, compost toilets, greywater, and rocket stoves Integrated Design Studio – team-based final design projects covering watershed strategy, agroforestry, food forest layout, infrastructure, and phased implementation Daily RhythmMornings begin with optional surf/yoga and journaling, followed by field practicums and hands-on workshops. Afternoons include design studio and construction lab work, with reflection circles, communal dinners, and evening talks, films, or campfire discussions rounding out the day. Final ProjectParticipants work in teams to produce a full regenerative design package — landscape analysis, water plan, agroforestry design, food forest plan, ecological infrastructure, and bioclimatic farm plan — presented to a faculty review panel on the final day, followed by a closing ceremony, certificate delivery, and community feast. CertificationGraduates receive the Tropical Dry Forest Permaculture Design & Regenerative Stewardship Certification (120 contact hours), hosted by Capacha Coastal Conservation Center and Tierralegre, A.C. Curriculum integrates international PDC standards with tropical ecology, agroforestry, ecological restoration, bamboo bioarchitecture, bioclimatic design, GIS/photogrammetry, and regenerative leadership. Highlights Hands-on bamboo construction (temazcal, bathhouses, sculpture) Tropical dry forest silviculture practicum Community mapping and design project for Ekoa Green Community Talent show and sea turtle release
November 13, 2026 09:00 – November 25, 2026 16:00
Offer

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