Our culture of interaction
At
Touchstone people buy a lifestyle as well as a home. Residents contribute a few hours of their time each week for neighborhood maintenance and other jobs, attend meetings twice monthly where decisions are made by consensus.
Our
neighborhood is a balance between community involvement and personal
privacy. We designed homes with kitchens in the front, porches and
front doors of glass.
Sitting
on your front porch lets people know that you are available to
socialize. If your front door window is covered, it is
a signal that you do not want visitors. An uncovered window encourages
others to ring your doorbell.
Interaction
and conversation take place while we are outdoors walking to our cars,
picking up mail or simply strolling in the neighborhood.
A day in the life of Touchstone by a resident
People often ask me why I moved to Ann Arbor.
My answer often causes questioning looks when I reply that I moved here
for Cohousing. I had read an article
about Cohousing in a national magazine.
My immediate reaction was, “Cohousing is where I want to live. I checked the existing communities nationwide
and decided to move Touchstone in Ann
Arbor. I have never regretted my decision.
Let me tell you about
a day in my life here. I leave my home
to take a walk around the community. I have a meal for a neighbor who has
returned from the hospital. Another neighbor
is walking her two little dogs. I pet them as she and I talk briefly about last
night’s business meeting and check our ideas for the next meeting of the Work Committee which we both are
on.
Several children are playing
together, having great fun on the new play structure with its many
opportunities for climbing, swinging and cooperative play. I call “Hi” to them, exchange a couple of
hugs and head toward the Common House to check on my jobs. On the way, I admire
the common gardens which are in their prime.
Several neighbors are working there, watering, picking, weeding and nibbling.
One mother, head of the Garden Committee with her young sons playing beside
her, is busily picking beans for tonight’s community dinner.
I walk into the
Common House to check on my jobs for the month. We each work a few
hours each month for the good of the community. I see that I am assistant cook for Sunday’s Common Meal with another
neighbor, so I stop by her home on the way back.
She and her husband are very active in keeping us on an even keel. In fact, he is chair of the Grounds Committee
and is out checking that the mowers are in good working condition. She and I discuss dinner plans, I pet their
dog and head back up the hill.
I hear frogs singing in the retention pond, as geese, honking, fly overhead. Two of our older boys skim past me on their roller blades, knowing they are safe since no cars drive within the perimeter of the buildings. Standing on the porch of my home I look around and feel great satisfaction with my life, sharing it with so many friends of all ages at Touchstone.
Vision Statement
Our vision of the future we are creating together: We are a community of friends who work, share, learn, grow and play together. As time passes, we sense our neighbors becoming our extended family. Our neighborhood feels like home to all who want to live and visit here. It is a comfortable space that supports both individual expression and shared experiences.
Mission
Touchstone
is a neighborhood of 46 households (34 have been built) on six acres in
Scio Township. It is a community created and sustained by its residents
with the intention of sharing the joys and challenges of life and
appreciating each individual.
Core Values
• A sense of support, connection and belonging through social interaction and celebration
• Acceptance and consideration of all differences
• A nurturing environment for children
• A responsibility for one’s actions
• Choice in how, when and where each person participates in the community
• The joy that comes from sharing work, resources and talents
• Caring for our space
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