The People
As of September 2021, we have 16 members and 11 households. We also have numerous Explorers. We advertise nationally and locally, including the Seattle area on public radio. Now is the best time to get in for your choice of house and location and to help make decisions about the development of our community.
Listen to Lauren and Jennie interview podcast.
Jennie Lindberg and Dean Smith
Jennie (she/her) and Dean (he/him) are our founders. Jennie is a semi-retired Family Therapist and Dean is a retired engineer. They bring a value of deep interest in producing good food for the community, working in the garden together and sharing food.
They are long time members of the local Unitarian Universalist church, which is 3.5 miles away.
Environmental issues are of primary importance to Dean and Jennie and they were founding members of 350 Everett, a local environmental action group.
Jennie: “For me, cohousing is an antidote to loneliness and isolation. It’s a diverse group of supportive neighbors and friends who like helping each other, spending time, working and playing together.”
Dean: “I want to live in cohousing because I appreciate the value of community in my life. Having people around to chat over a cup of coffee, people who will help me, and people I can lend a hand to, young and old.”
Mary W.
“What first drew me to Sunnyside, other than it being a cohousing community, is the emphasis on gardening and maintaining open green spaces. Now that I've been part of the community for some time I can say an additional draw is relationships with the community members who are are warm-hearted, interesting, and fun to engage with.”
Sherie and Joe R.
Sherie has a background in interior design and is an avid gardener. She is at the site nearly every Saturday afternoon, working on the garden or the orchard. Joe is a history buff. He is a great cook. We’re all looking forward to his soups.
Patrick H.
Patrick is an engineer in the electronics industry with a longtime interest in cohousing. He currently lives in Everett, where he volunteers for several organizations involved in historic preservation and downtown revitalization. As a hobby he enjoys renovating his historic home.
Troy and Kirstin A.
Both Troy and Kirstin are active members of the Democratic Socialists of America and of The Episcopal Church. Kirstin works as a freelance editor and prefers editing romance novels. Troy works in IT and previously worked as a sound designer for video games. The two of them currently live on a small farm that includes orchard trees, sheep, chickens, and two cute Nigerian dwarf goats.
Miriam C.
Miriam grew up in Iowa but has lived from coast to coast and border to border. She is a retired educator and has worked in nature centers as well as public schools. Her interests include hiking, camping, reading, and cooking. She is already keeping an eye out for recipes that can be scaled up for community meals!
“I am choosing cohousing because I want to live in a community where I can make connections and contributions. I want to be able to borrow a cup of sugar or bring chicken soup to a neighbor.
Life can be both brilliant and hard. When things are brilliant, we need to pass on to others our joy and light. When things are hard, we need to draw on others’ strengths and wisdom. A cohousing community helps make this happen.”
Lauren T.
Like most young professionals, I’ve spent many years studying and working in very urban settings. So when it was time to find a simpler way of life, with more space and closer to nature, I was lucky enough to have found Sunnyside.
The project has everything that I wanted in my future home including being surrounded by nature with plenty of space for gardening and the opportunity to design my own cottage.
Although at first, it was scary to commit to a home that hasn’t even been built yet, the members proved again and again that this is the community I wanted to be in. I want to be a Sunnyside neighbor!
Colleen C.
Colleen has long been interested in intentional community and is delighted to actually know and spend time with her neighbors. She embraces the values of Sunnyside Village Cohousing and is thrilled to find a cohousing community in close proximity to her kids and grandkids.
She finds cohousing the perfect antidote to the isolation that is so common to today’s city dwellers and, as an introvert, loves having her own space while being part of an active community.
Becca, Joshua, and their son
These three goofballs love community and have lived in many different communal iterations for the last 40 years. Most recently with 4 generations under one roof!
This family’s happy place is sharing food, creative, themed events, and movie nights with their community.
Vicki and Paul
Vicki grew up in various parts of Washington and California, and is now a Naturopathic Doctor (ND). Paul grew up on a farm in New Zealand, and is now a software consultant. They met in a commune in Oregon and have been interested in community ever since. They have been exploring cohousing for the past couple of years.
They love to go walking and hiking with their two dogs Danny and Pedro. Paul has a Little Free Library that he built. Vicki makes “concoctions.” Sometimes Paul likes how they taste. Sometimes not. More for Vicki!
Ava S.
Bio and photo coming soon!