VCC Prospective Member Process 

We aspire to be an open and inclusive community.  Anyone who contacts VCC and expresses interest in joining the community and provides us with contact information is automatically added to our “Interested List”.  Persons on that list will receive notice of available units after current VCC members and then “Waiting List” members are given a chance to buy a unit.   

To get on the Waiting List, interested persons first need to complete our Prospective Member Process.  As a person on the Waiting List, you receive a special notice when a unit becomes available, and you will enjoy an expedited process if and when you are ready to purchase a unit.  The steps described below serve two basic purposes:  (1) help you get to know us and understand our community, and (2) help us to get to know you.  

All adult members of a household who are interested in joining our community need to complete the Prospective Member Process before a sale can be completed. 

Steps in the process: 

1. 1.  After inquiring about living at the Village, you will receive an information package.  Read through the material, and learn about cohousing in general. The Cohousing Association of the United States website is a great place to start.

2. 2.  Schedule a visit and receive a guided, informational tour from a member of the Membership and Marketing Committee. 

3. 3.  Attend at least one community meal and general business meeting (if it is absolutely impossible for you to attend one of our monthly business meetings, please contact the someone on the Membership Committee).  We also have regularly scheduled committee meetings that you can observe and workdays that you are welcome to participate in.  We strongly encourage you to attend more than one of these so you can see how our community operates.  Especially for your first visit, it’s important that you give us advance notice that you’re coming so we can be sure that enough people are there to meet you.   

4. 4.  Familiarize yourself with VCC’s official documents (Articles of Incorporation, Condominium Declaration, Bylaws, Policies and Processes).  Becoming a condominium owner and a Village member means accepting and agreeing to abide by these documents, so it’s good to be familiar with them.  These documents can be sent to you electronically.  In addition a printed set of these documents is kept in the Common House.  Eventually we may post them on the website.  If you want a hard copy for yourself, we can provide it at cost.  

5. 5.  Ask a person on the Membership Committee for a Prospective Member Questionnaire.  Complete and return the “Prospective Member Questionnaire”.  This should help you decide if cohousing is right for you, and we use it to help us get to know you.   

6. 6.  Schedule an interview with the Membership Committee.  This is an informal occasion where any questions you may still have about our community or the process of becoming a member and buying a unit can be answered.  It also provides us an opportunity to get to know you a little better.  You will receive the VCC Declaration of Agreement and Commitment at the interview. 

7. 7.  Still with us?  We hope so!  Finally, if you’ve completed the steps above, signify your interest in joining the Waiting List by signing, dating and turning in the Declaration of Agreement and Commitment.  After receiving that document, the community will get back to you within a month with a telephone call.  While we aim to be open and inclusive, occasionally it is necessary to decline the application of prospective member.  

Last Updated 15 January 2016