The Road to Gratitude Village: Next Steps in Building Our Dream Community

The Road to Gratitude Village: Next Steps in Building Our Dream Community

Creating Gratitude Village, a net-zero, sustainable cohousing community, is an exciting and complex journey. We’re committed to fostering connection, affordability, and environmental stewardship, and we’re thrilled to share the next steps in making this vision a reality. Here's where we’re headed and how you can get involved.

1. Setting Up the Non-Profit

One of our first steps is establishing a non-profit organization. This step is already in process! This entity will enable us to pursue grants and funding to help make housing in Gratitude Village affordable. By reducing financial barriers, we aim to ensure our community is diverse and inclusive, welcoming people from all walks of life. The non-profit will also facilitate innovative affordability measures, such as Community Land Trusts and other models to maintain long-term affordability.

2. Building Our Founder Group

We’re assembling a group of 10-15 founding members to lead the charge in creating Gratitude Village. Founders play a vital role, helping shape the community while securing their place within it. Becoming a founder requires a $5,000 deposit, which not only reserves your position for choosing a lot or home (priority is given in order of deposits received) but also serves as a credit toward your future home and earns you a $2,500 discount on its cost. Additional deposits will earn further discounts, making this an excellent opportunity to invest in your future home and community.

3. Securing the Land

We’ve identified a promising 24-acre parcel on the west side of Denver, between Golden and Boulder. This land is part of a Planned Development (PD) approved a decade ago, which already includes county-approved parcels for medium-density housing, including cohousing. This parcel offers the perfect balance of size, location, and infrastructure for our vision. Purchasing the land will be a major milestone, bringing us one step closer to breaking ground.

4. Holding Design Workshops

Once the land is secured, we’ll partner with development consultants and architects to host design workshops. These collaborative sessions will allow founders and other community members to provide input on the design of homes, shared spaces, and amenities. It’s an opportunity to ensure Gratitude Village reflects our shared values and priorities.

5. Submitting Proposals for Approval

With our designs in hand, we’ll submit proposals to the county for review and approval. Since the parcel is already part of a pre-approved development plan, we anticipate a smoother process, but we’re prepared to advocate for our community vision if needed.

6. Creating Construction Documents and Hiring Builders

After receiving county approval, the next step is creating detailed construction documents and selecting a builder. We’re considering Phoenix Haus, based in Grand Junction, as a potential partner. They specialize in Passive House-certified homes, which align perfectly with our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, and by using the modular development model we reduce the costs to build our homes significantly!

7. Breaking Ground and Starting Construction

With all approvals and plans in place, construction will begin! This phase will bring our designs to life, from individual homes to the thoughtfully designed community spaces that will make Gratitude Village a true haven for connection and sustainability.

8. Moving In!

The final step—moving in! Founders and members will begin their new lives in Gratitude Village, living in harmony with nature and each other in a community built on gratitude, sustainability, and shared purpose.

Get Involved Today!

Whether you’re ready to become a founder, support our non-profit efforts through a donation, or simply learn more about cohousing and our community, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can build a place to belong, a life to cherish, and a net-zero future. Let’s make Gratitude Village a reality!