Cathy’s Washington Commons Story

In March 2020, after I heard an advertisement on KVIE about a co-housing community being built in West Sacramento, it didn’t take long for me to decide to become a member. The timing was good, I was recently retired, ready to downsize, and wanted to find a place to live where I would know my neighbors and have many opportunities to enjoy their company. The Washington Commons location, close to the river, the bike trail, downtown Sacramento, and just three miles from Lake Washington sounded perfect.

My introduction to West Sacramento was years ago when I joined the Lake Washington Sailing Club.  For many years, I loved going to the Lake in the evening after work to enjoy an evening sail. These days I don’t sail anymore but the lake is still a favorite spot to enjoy the delta breeze, have a picnic dinner, and watch the sailors, rowers and windsurfers as the sun goes down over the lake and the Sacramento River Delta.

Cathy leads us to Twist again

Since becoming a member, I have had many experiences that have reinforced my first impressions that Washington Commons was going to be a good fit for me. One is the community’s commitment to environmental values; another was discovering that the founding members who participated in the design phase had the foresight to include a large room for bicycle storage – no problem finding cycling buddies!  I’ve had a great time participating on the Super-Weekend team; our meetings are well organized, productive, and fun.  Two of my favorite super-weekend activities were leading a group singalong and an urban planning walk which were opportunities for me to share two of my favorite things, making music and wonky conversations about urban planning. ​

Cathy with future neighbors blessing her home of 30+ years

Despite all our planning, Super-Weekends gave us opportunities to deal with the unexpected. On the difficult side, getting the hybrid Zoom sessions to work was always a challenge – a shout out to Racheli and her techie advisors who always got it to work, eventually. On the fun side, who knew the crazy dance activity we put together for the July Super-Weekend would be so hilarious – those of you who were there know what I’m talking about. For me, having fun together is the glue that holds communities together.

I lived in my Midtown Sacramento high water bungalow for 32 years before I sold it this June in preparation for moving to Washington Commons.  In April when I was in the middle of getting my house ready to sell and my heart ready to move, my Washington Common friends honored me by participating in a house blessing.  I am so grateful for this amazing, heartfelt experience. As our move-in date approaches, I sense that we’re all experiencing a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I’m confident that we will work through whatever challenges arise and we will become a stronger community in the process. I am looking forward to the day when I can call Washington Commons my new home.