Our Professional Partners

CoHousing Solutions, Development Consultant 

We're pleased to partner with CoHousing Solutions in Nevada City, a firm whose founder brought cohousing here to the U.S. with her partner, and co-wrote the authoritative book on the subject.

Katie McCamant; President of CoHousing Solutions

Katie McCamant brings the depth and diversity of her 30 + years of experience as an architect, developer, and cohousing resident to her clients.
 
She is a licensed architect and coauthor of the authoritative book, Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves which introduced cohousing to the English speaking world. Katie co-founded McCamant & Durrett Architects/Cohousing Company with Charles Durrett in 1987. In 2006, she and Jim Leach (Wonderland Hill Development) co-founded CoHousing Partners, a development company that partnered with cohousing groups. Today, she is the sole owner CoHousing Solutions, a development consulting firm that works with cohousing groups and developers across the US and Canada.

Katie has designed and developed dozens of cohousing communities in the United States and Canada. After 12 years living in and raising her daughter at Doyle Street Cohousing in Emeryville, she now lives at Nevada City Cohousing in the Sierra Foothills.

Mahlum Architect Firm

Mahlum envisions a world where healthy human and environmental systems thrive. They believe community empowerment will be the game-changing force that leads to sustainable, transformational ways to make that possible.

Kurt Haapala; Principal in Charge

“I enjoy engaging deeply and listening intently to the users of our buildings. Through their voices and the honest sharing of who they are and what their journey is all about, we understand how design can support them. We are the translators, the storytellers of their journey through the built environment.”

Kurt is an industry leader in the planning and design of student life and housing facilities. Having worked with more than a dozen colleges and universities across the West, he has built the firm’s higher education housing studio into a nationally recognized practice. His design concepts were instrumental in helping to achieve LEED Platinum Certification for Ackerman Hall at Western Oregon University, the first residence hall in the country to do so. Kurt’s enthusiasm for student and stakeholder engagement has inspired his extensive research, writing, and speaking on how the built environment can positively impact student outcomes.

Kim Olsen; Project Manager

“Someone once told me to always remember what is important to you.  My priority in life is the people in it – whether it’s my family, friends, coworkers, or clients, I’m consistently inspired by and grateful for the community I live and work in.”
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Joining Mahlum in 2013, Kim brings more than 16 years of experience in project architecture and management. Deeply appreciative of her own collegiate experience, Kim has a passion for design that enriches the living and learning environments for students and faculty. She is a skilled manager of complex projects and takes pride in listening to the needs of all constituents through the design process.

Sean Murphy; Intern Architect

“Architecture is the backdrop where life takes place. It is our professional responsibility to act as stewards to provide healthy, vibrant communities by creating a symbiotic relationship with architecture and the environments in which we design.”

MFA Architecture

MFA is a collaborative design studio focusing on research, planning, and architecture. Strong design values guide every aspect of our practice, provoking us to create work that endures, inspires, and expresses the collective aspirations of the project team. With projects ranging from custom residences to district planning, MFA has the expertise to resolve complex problems for diverse clients.

Seth Moran; Project Architect

With roles across project types, scales, and environments, Seth has insight to clients’ needs and goals. He has an intuitive grasp of the impact of cost, functionality, public perception, and technical complexity.

An experienced designer, Seth brings a sense of aesthetic rigor and sophistication to the place-making process. As a master of process, he effectively guides projects through Portland’s Design Review and regulatory hurdles.

Michael Flowers; Design Architect

Mike has guided a diverse array of projects, from residential to large institutional. As the founder of his design-focused studio in 2007, he realizes team coordination, cost control, and timely delivery.

Feasibility studies, envelope rehabilitation, and energy efficiency measures are just some of the unique abilities Mike brings to the team. His continual eagerness to explore new technologies leads to enhanced building performance and spacial innovation.

Urban Development Partners

​For UD+P, a great real estate opportunity is one that benefits communities, tenants, neighbors, local businesses and the environment. Their hands-on approach to financing, designing, constructing and managing properties is based on a long-term vision for their business and a commitment to operating in a way that supports the character and vitality of our cities and their residents.

Joren Bass; Developer

A “boots on the ground architect,” Joren is every bit as comfortable and capable with a pencil or computer as with a framing hammer in hand. Adept at managing every phase of the building process, Joren collaborates with Avi Ben-Zaken and Leslie Louis to manage UD+P projects from early conception and design through construction and completion.
Bringing more than 20 years of diverse design and construction experience with projects in the Portland area, as well as nationally and internationally, Joren holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Kansas, a Master of Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and is a licensed architect. His broad experience, creativity and passion for the built environment allow him to help UD+P shape Portland’s innovative, sustainable and growing community.

"At CoVision Consulting, we believe that we live better lives when we are together in community. We act as the driving force to turn the vision of a cohousing neighborhood into a reality. With the autonomy of private dwellings and the advantages of community living, cohousing creates richer, more fulfilling lives." 

Shelly Parks; Marketing

CoVision Consulting was founded by Shelly Parks, who had a nationally recognized career leading Sales and Marketing teams for Continuing Care Retirement Communities. While serving in this industry, Shelly became passionate about aging issues. Time and time again, she saw the importance of planning for the inevitable challenges of getting older, and became committed to provided older adults better options.
In her search to answer the question, “How can we do this better?”
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Shelly discovered the cohousing movement. It was a moment of epiphany: cohousing, more than any other conventional option for aging, offered people the opportunity to proactively live their best lives. With private homes, the ability to meaningfully connect, and all the benefits of living in a tight-knit community planned and managed by the community members themselves, cohousing felt like the answer to Shelly’s question.


Shelly began seeking ways to use her experience and skills to be a part of the cohousing movement. She was invited into the 500 Communities program offered by Katie McCamant, a national leader and one of the co-founders of cohousing in the United States.  Shelly is now a Certified Cohousing Consultant and an affiliate of Cohousing Solutions.  After years of delving deeper into the cohousing movement, Shelly left her management position for a Seattle-area retirement community in early 2017 to focus on CoVision Consulting full-time.