Get It Built: Gratitude Village Takes the Next Big Step Toward Creating Community

Last month, something powerful happened in Denver. When Charles Durrett, architect, author, and cofounder of The Cohousing Company, took the stage at Gather at Lakeside on September 18, the energy in the room was electric. More than 150 people came to hear him speak about cohousing, connect with one another and imagine a future where neighborhoods are designed for belonging and inclusion.

The message Durrett shared that night was simple but profound: cohousing is not about building houses, it’s about building community.

For Gratitude Village Colorado, that message resonated deeply — because that’s exactly what we’re doing.

A Growing Community with a Shared Vision

Gratitude Village is still young, but our roots are growing strong. In less than a year, we’ve grown from a couple of dreamers into a diverse group of 20 families and individuals representing about 33 people total ranging in age from 4 to their late 70s.

We are artists and entrepreneurs, parents and grandparents, gardeners and hikers, introverts and extroverts — people who want to live in a neighborhood where connection, sustainability, and shared purpose are built into everyday life. Some of us have lived in tight-knit neighborhoods before. Others haven’t — but we all know we want something different than the disconnected way many of us live now.

What brings us together is a shared vision: an affordable, multigenerational, mixed-income village, designed with universal accessibility and environmental stewardship at its heart. We want a diverse community that values connection, inclusion and living lightly on the earth. We envision kids playing safely outside, neighbors sharing meals in a vibrant common house, gardens thriving year-round and elders aging in place with dignity and support. This isn’t an abstract dream. It’s a tangible, carefully planned project that’s steadily moving toward reality. It’s happening — piece by piece, step by step.

Land, Location, and Affordability

Right now, we’re in the middle of one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking parts of the process: finding and securing land. We’ve identified several promising parcels in Arvada, Westminster, and Lakewood and are working diligently to have the right site under contract before the holidays.

Our priorities for selecting land are simple and reflect our values:

• Keeping the cost of the land (and thus our housing) as affordable as possible, so that our community remains accessible to people from a variety of income levels.

• A location west of I-25, close to the foothills, mountains and open space so many of us love and where many of us have built interesting, fulfilling lives.

• Ensuring access to public transit, making it easier for residents to live lightly on the earth, reduce expenses and lower our footprint.

With these priorities guiding our decisions, we’re not just choosing a parcel of land — we’re laying the foundation for the kind of community we want to become. Land is the physical ground we’ll build on, but it’s also symbolic. It’s the place where our vision will take root.

A Turning Point

Anyone who has walked this cohousing path knows that finding people and the land is only the beginning. To bring a cohousing neighborhood to life, a group must become clear, organized and aligned. This is where so many groups stall — not for lack of passion, but for lack of process. That’s the moment we’re in now. We're starting to build together, not just a physical space, but a shared future.

We’re bringing Charles Durrett back to Denver in January 2026 for the Get It Built Workshop.

This workshop arrives at the perfect moment for Gratitude Village. We’re poised to transition from visioning to development, and we want our future residents — and anyone who shares this vision with us — to be part of that leap forward. This weekend in January will give our members the knowledge and tools to take real steps toward development — not someday, but now.

“The sooner a group gets organized, the sooner they can move from dreaming to doing.” — Charles Durrett

More Than a Workshop — Clarity, Confidence and Community

The two-day workshop is designed for communities ready to make their projects real. Over one immersive weekend, Charles walks participants through the essential elements of getting cohousing off the ground and built — from understanding development timelines to legal structures, financing options, group decision-making, and working with professionals. We'll leave Sunday evening with the essentials needed to move from idea to action:

• A clear roadmap from land purchase to move-in day.

• Understanding what it really takes to build cohousing, legally and financially.

• Tools for financing, budgeting, and legal structure.

• How to make decisions together as a group.

• Who to hire and how to work with professionals to bring a community vision to life.

• How to navigate the timeline and complexities from land purchase to move-in.

• Confidence in the roles we each play as founders, future residents, and partners in development.

The cost is $400 per person (free for Founding Members and $550 per person for non GVCO members), which includes both full days of training, materials, and direct access to one of the most experienced cohousing facilitators in the world.

More than any bullet point, the workshop is where our Founding Members will sit side by side, learning and planning together. It’s not about being a spectator — it’s about helping shape the community from the inside.

An Invitation to Step In

If you’ve been watching Gratitude Village from the sidelines, this is a meaningful time to get involved.

Becoming a Founding Member means being part of the group that helps shape the village from the beginning: making design decisions, guiding development and ensuring the values you care about stay at the heart of the project. Becoming an Explorer Member is a way to step in more lightly, get to know the group and walk alongside us through the weekend as the vision unfolds.

Some of us joined because we want our kids to grow up surrounded by community. Others want to downsize and age in a place where neighbors look out for one another. Some are drawn to living more sustainably. Whatever brings you here, the heartbeat is the same: we want to live in a way that feels more human.

What Makes Gratitude Village Ours

Gratitude Village isn’t a speculative development. It’s a community-led project, built from the ground up by future neighbors. We’re working toward:

• A Net Zero community with gardens, shared spaces, and green infrastructure.

• A mix of homes for different income levels and life stages.

• A common house that serves as the beating heart of the neighborhood.

• A consensus-influenced, sociocratic governance structure where every voice matters.

• A culture of connection, inclusion, kindness, diversity and joy.

We know this model works — because cohousing communities like Quimper Village in Port Townsend, WA, Heartwood Commons in Tulsa, OK and so many others across the country have proven it. Other groups have led the way but this is our story, and we’re still writing it. The next chapter begins with those who are ready to step in.

What’s Ahead

• Workshop: Get It Built with Charles Durrett

• Dates: January 24-25, 2026

• Location: Denver, Colorado

• Participation: Priority will go to Founding and Explorer Members of Gratitude Village

• Cost: $400 per person which covers two full days of training, materials, lunch each day and expert guidance from Charles Durrett (free for GVCO Founding Members and $550 per person for people who are not GVCO Explorer or Founding members).

• Schedule: Saturday 9am-5pm (lunch included) Sunday 10am-4pm (lunch included)

Be Part of the Beginning

Cohousing doesn’t just appear — it’s built by people who roll up their sleeves, lean in and create it together. A community isn’t built overnight. It’s built through many small, intentional steps. This workshop is one of those steps — a chance to get grounded, build shared knowledge and strengthen the foundation of our community before the first shovel hits the ground.

The Get It Built Workshop isn’t just a learning opportunity; it’s a moment of commitment. If our vision resonates with you, this is a meaningful moment to step in. We’d love to have you at the table.

If you’ve been dreaming about living in a community like Gratitude Village, we invite you to take the next step — not just to attend a workshop, but to become part of the story as a Founding or Explorer Member.

👉 Learn more about membership and joining Gratitude Village at gratitudevillageco.com