From Dream to Doing
Building Gratitude Village Together
I’m building Gratitude Village Colorado because I believe many of us are craving a different way to live—one rooted in connection, care, and shared responsibility. Not someday. Not in theory. But here, now, with real people and real steps forward.
Gratitude Village is a community-led cohousing project in the Denver metro area, designed as a fully-accessible, NetZero, affordable, multigenerational, mixed-income neighborhood where future residents are shaping the vision together. At its heart, this is about creating a place where people truly know their neighbors, where kids and elders thrive side by side and where sustainability and accessibility aren’t afterthoughts, but foundational values woven into everyday life.
What started as a quiet idea has grown into something tangible—and increasingly real.
A Community That’s Showing Up
Today, Gratitude Village is made up of 11 founding families and 12 exploring families—nearly 40 people total, ranging in age from young children to adults in their late 70s. We’re artists and entrepreneurs, parents and grandparents, gardeners and hikers, introverts and extroverts.
Some of us have lived in close-knit neighborhoods before. Others haven’t—but we all know we want something different than the disconnected way many of us live today. What brings us together is a shared vision: a multigenerational, mixed-income community designed with universal accessibility, environmental stewardship, and human connection at its core.
We imagine 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 carefully planned, community-led project that’s moving forward—step by step, decision by decision.
Momentum on Land (Yes, Really)
Land is often the hardest milestone for cohousing communities, and it’s where momentum can stall. I’m happy to share that Gratitude Village is actively making progress here.
We’re in ongoing conversations around sites in Arvada, Westminster, and Lakewood, with a strong focus on land west of I-25 that aligns with our values: affordability, access to nature and open space, and proximity to transit. Keeping land costs manageable is essential to ensuring Gratitude Village remains accessible to people across income levels and life stages.
Most recently, the City of Westminster invited us to present a pitch deck to their team. Seven future residents stood alongside our development partners—including Charles Durrett, the architect who introduced cohousing to the U.S.—to make the case for why this project matters.
It was one of those moments that reminded me why this work is worth it: future neighbors and seasoned professionals standing shoulder to shoulder, speaking about belonging, sustainability, accessibility, and the urgent need for new housing models. This is what community-led development looks like in practice.
A Pivotal Moment for Gratitude Village
Anyone familiar with cohousing knows that finding people and land is only the beginning. The real work starts when a group becomes aligned, organized, and ready to move forward together. This is where many groups stall—not for lack of passion, but for lack of shared process and clarity.
Gratitude Village is stepping into that next phase.
To support this transition, we’re bringing Charles back to Denver for a Get It Built Workshop in January 2026. This two-day immersive experience is designed for communities that are ready to move from dreaming to doing.
“The sooner a group gets organized, the sooner they can move from dreaming to doing.” — Charles Durrett
The timing couldn’t be better. We’re aligning our people, refining our structure, and preparing to make real development decisions together.
What Makes This Workshop Different
This isn’t a lecture or a passive learning experience. It’s a working weekend designed to build shared understanding, confidence, and commitment.
In addition to Charles, partner consultants will be in attendance, offering real-world expertise and direct access to the professionals who help bring projects like this to life. Participants will engage with a project manager whose background includes decades focused on energy-efficient construction, a local architect, a structural engineer experienced in alternative materials (including hemp, straw bale, rammed earth, and adobe), a mortgage broker, and a title company—along with insight into civil, soils, energy, mechanical, electrical, acoustic, and environmental engineering.
This weekend is about understanding the full ecosystem required to build cohousing—and how future residents fit into it.
What We’ll Cover
Saturday is about foundations and clarity, including:
Development roles and responsibilities
Working effectively as a group
The development process and timeline
Community-building exercises
The cohousing design process and design patterns
Understanding housing costs, mortgages, and title considerations
Sunday is about realism and readiness, including:
Financial realities: what it will cost and how we pay for it
Proformas (development budget), construction estimates, and cash flow
Working with a developer
Navigating political and approval processes with cities and neighbors
Marketing and membership
Next steps and committee formation
Lunch is included both days, and there will be an opportunity to have dinner with Charles on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evening, creating space for deeper conversation and connection.
An Invitation (Only 5 Seats Remaining)
This is a meaningful moment to get involved.
Becoming a Founding Member means helping shape the village from the beginning—guiding design decisions, supporting development, and ensuring the values you care about remain central. Explorer Membership offers a lighter way to engage, learn, and walk alongside the community as it takes shape.
Right now, only 5 seats remain for participation in the Get It Built Workshop.
Some of us are here because we want our kids to grow up surrounded by community. Others are here to downsize and age in place. Some are drawn by sustainability or affordability. What unites us is a desire to live more intentionally, more connected, and more human.
Why This Matters to Me
Gratitude Village isn’t a speculative development. It’s not being built for someone else. It’s being built by the people who plan to live there.
We’re working toward a Net Zero community with shared green spaces and gardens, homes for multiple income levels and life stages, a common house as the social heart of the neighborhood, and a consensus-informed, sociocratic governance model where every voice matters. Most of all, we’re cultivating a culture rooted in inclusion, kindness, diversity, and joy.
Cohousing works. Communities across the country have proven it. Now, we’re writing our own chapter—right here in Colorado.
What’s Next
Get It Built Workshop with Charles Durrett
📅 January 24–25, 2026
📍 Denver, Colorado
💲 $400 per person (free for GVCO Founding Members; $550 for non-members*)
🕘 Saturday 9–5 | Sunday 10–4 (lunch included both days)
*includes a six month Explorer Membership
Priority is given to Founding and Explorer Members of Gratitude Village.
Be Part of the Beginning
Cohousing doesn’t appear overnight. It’s built through intentional steps, shared learning, and collective commitment. This workshop is one of those steps—a chance to ground ourselves, build shared understanding, and strengthen the foundation before the first shovel hits the ground.
If this vision resonates with you, I’d love to have you at the table.
👉 Learn more about membership and joining Gratitude Village at gratitudevillageco.com