A Community for Every Generation

What I Believe:

When my wife and I moved to Osseo in 2014, we thought we were moving into our starter home.

We had a growing family and figured Osseo would be the place where we began that next chapter of our lives. What we didn't realize was how quickly this community would become home—and how much the people around us would become part of our family.

Two of the first people we met were our neighbors, Norm and Hazel, who were 92 and 93 years old. It didn't take long before they became "Grandpa Norm" and "Grandma Hazel" to our boys—and really, to all of us.

We did life together.

As they got older, we helped with things like caring for their lawn and some of the everyday tasks that helped them live independently in the home that they'd had lived in since the 50s. In return, they gave our family something much more valuable: their time, their love, their stories and the kind of generational wisdom you only get from people who have experienced a whole lot of life.

Our boys had two additional grandparents right next door. Norm and Hazel had a young family looking out for them. And all of us were better because of that relationship.

That experience helped shape the way our family sees community.

Today, our own family has three generations living right here in Osseo. My wife has a master's degree in Gerontology, and intergenerational relationships have long been something our family deeply values.

And I believe they're also one of the things that can make Osseo such a special place to live.

What I’m Hearing:

One of Osseo's strengths is the variety of people who call our community home.

We have young families raising children, teenagers beginning to find their independence, adults without children, empty nesters, longtime residents and seniors who have called Osseo home for decades. In a city our size, those generations don't have to exist separately from one another.

We have an opportunity to create a community where they regularly cross paths.

That matters as we think about the future of our parks, facilities, community programming and public spaces.

A great community space shouldn't necessarily be designed for just one age group or one specific purpose. When possible, we should think creatively about how the same investment can serve a child today, a teenager tomorrow, a parent on the weekend and a senior during the week.

We should also recognize that "family" looks different from household to household. Creating an intergenerational community means making room for families with young children, families with teenagers, households without children, empty nesters and seniors alike.

Everyone should be able to see a place for themselves in the future of Osseo.

What I’ll Work Toward:

As Osseo considers future improvements to our parks, facilities and community spaces, I want us to intentionally consider multi-generational and multi-use opportunities.

That could mean spaces flexible enough to host youth activities one day and senior programming the next. It could mean recreational amenities that give teenagers somewhere to gather while parents and younger children enjoy the same park. It could mean accessible walking areas, gathering spaces, community rooms, arts and educational programming, or facilities designed around multiple activities rather than a single use.

It also means asking an important question as we consider future investments:

How many different people can benefit from what we're creating?

Not every facility can—or should—be everything to everyone. But especially in a small community like ours, I believe there is tremendous value in finding opportunities where one thoughtful investment can serve many different people, purposes and generations.

Because the best outcome isn't simply having something for kids and something for seniors.

It's creating more places where kids, parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends can experience community together.

More than a decade after believing we had purchased our "starter home," we're still here. Our roots are deeper, three generations of our family now call Osseo home, and the relationships we've built across generations have become part of what this city means to us.

I want Osseo to continue being a community where you can grow up, raise a family, grow older—and continue finding meaningful ways to belong through every stage in between.