Jamaica Plain Cohousing is located in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, south of the downtown area.
Close proximity to the MBTA Orange transit line makes this a convenient location.
This is a good example of a small cohousing project in an urban setting. On 3/4 of an acre the architects succeeded in placing 30 flats and townhouse, plus a commons room, all surrounding a courtyard, for children to play in and adults to relax in.
In style it modernizes the triple-decker apartments of Boston, that had front porches on each level. In concept and function, it is similar to European housing built around a courtyard.
Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. did the programming and preliminary design of the site, common house and units, as well as consulting and review for the common house design development. Full services were done by Domenech, Hicks and Krockmalnic of Boston.
The schematic birds-eye plan was made by Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. More photos of the completed housing can be seen at their website: http://www.krausfitch.com/project/jamaica-plain-cohousing
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PHOTOS FROM OTHER SITES:
Google Images:
Courtyard seen from 3rd floor balcony.Commons space and part of courtyard. The roof now has solar panels. Photo compliments of Kraus Fitch Architects.
Cambridge Cohousing is located at 175 Richdale Ave. in Cambridge MA, halfway between Porter Square and Fresh Pond shopping plaza.
The architects have achieved a very peasant look, fitting 41 units on a tiny piece of land: 1.5 acre. It helps that much of the parking is underground. Less pleasant: the homes on the north edge overlook the commuter rail from the west suburbs into Boston. But that can be an asset: some trains stop at Porter Square.
Aerial view from Google, tilted. Rail line is at top, in back of buildings.
Residents seem very happy to be living here, based on their comments and given that only 10 people have moved out, since 1998, when 90 first moved in.
Construction was done by using modular units, which were stacked up, much like Legos. The developer has posted a website showing the method, which is fascinating to read (see link, far down below) .
In the next few sections, you will find excerpts from their website and others. Most of the photos were found on Google.
Cambridge Cohousing is a community-designed and -developed housing project in Cambridge, MA. We are a group of people of diverse ages, backgrounds, abilities, professions and lifestyles. We are committed to creating a neighborly and cooperative community in which we know and care about one another. Children can play safely, surrounded by neighbors, and residents know that caring friends are close by. We are committed to the vitality, convenience and diversity that is Cambridge. To learn more about our goals, please read our vision statement.
Our dream has become reality on a quiet, tree-shaded 1.5 acre site, a 10 minute walk from Porter Square. The site faces south, and is close to schools, parks, shopping and public transportation.
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If you’re in the Cambridge area,schedule a tourof the property. We also recommend that you become a Friend of Cambridge Cohousing. Membership is free and has several important perks, including priority e-mail notification of unit sales and rentals.
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Recently, two community members, Molly and Dan Lynn Watt, sent out a holiday note that describes their lives at Cambridge Cohousing.
Holiday Season 2008-9
… We have a cozy apartment for solitude, common space for friendship, and life in Cambridge (including teaching, learning, writing, ushering, campaigning, consulting, dancing and singing, etc.) connecting us to the larger society. …here’s our update on life in “coho.” In a nutshell, it’s good!
In 1996 we joined some pragmatic idealists meeting at Cambridge Friends Meeting to plan a cohousing community—making all decisions by consensus. We were planning a village within Cambridge where we would put as many values as possible into practice.
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Our ages ran the gamut from newborn to 80, one third were single people, one third were groups of two or more (our category), one third were families with young children (27 kids under 15). Individual homes… are different styles and sizes, 1-room efficiencies to 4-bedroom townhouses. …
We enjoy using the many community spaces: a large living room with fireplace, kitchen and dining room with 2 children’s playrooms adjoining, plus a library, workshop, and rooms for exercise, recreation, laundry, music, bike storage, and 2 guest rooms.
Underground parking, allows … a large “pretty good lawn,” a few smaller lawns, a shade garden, an open area we call “the glade,” several compost piles and a large organic garden.
We have planted many trees, shrubs and flowers and share the usual tasks. Unlike living in a single-family house, we can choose to specialize. Our responsibility— the shade garden, others shoveled the snow! The blessing of interdependence!
We hold an annual meeting to assess how we are doing on our sustainable living vision and how to do better as individuals and as a community. We use ground source heating and cooling …
Our community has aged, we are almost 11 years older. More of our 83 residents are retired, three founding members died, several youngsters grew up and moved away, six are at college. We now have only 17 residents under 17 years. …Ten of our founding households have moved on, new committed residents have moved in.
We’re eating more locally —from the coho garden, farmers markets, and a weekly box from a community-supported farm in western Massachusetts. We are a drop-off point for 67 farm shares. Three times a week we may sign up for community meals (costs based on the shopping receipts range from $2.50 to $5.00 per person, kids —half price.) …
Coho supports the wider community and world in other ways. The Fireside Reading series, curated by Molly, is now in its tenth year of readings. We host concerts of classical, folk and doo-wop; fundraisers for social justice organizations; support the Hospitality Program for Children’s Hospital; and we helped get a block party going on Richdale Avenue! …
We’ve gotten used to an aesthetic of small, densely organized living spaces. We know all our neighbors, and love participating with them to solve problems and get work done. …
We are quietly content, wouldn’t want to live any other way, and never expect to move! We will join our community’s Carol sing, Hanukah party, Christmas tree trimming, solstice celebration and New Year’s Eve gathering in front of the fire, happy to be in a community able to enjoy as many celebrations as people will step up to lead! …
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PHOTOS from other sites:
“Greenstaxx-system” was used at Cambridge Cohousing, by Oaktree Development LLC
This “Greenstaxx-system” was used at Cambridge Cohousing, by Oaktree Development LLC –a design-build firm. Building shown is actually at 30 Haven, Reading MA — 53 homes over 22,000 sq.ft. commercial space
This post –and others after this– will show examples of cohousing that has been built in cities.
These urban examples are more relevant for what we could do in Providence: they squeeze 15 – 70 condo units onto a land parcel of limited size, and still try to optimize public spaces — and try to make everything look good.
If you like an example, please post your vote –in the comments section below the post.
If you dislike it, if you would not want to live in a place like this, please vote NAY.
In either case, it would help us if you could add a few comments about what you liked or disliked.
Thanks.
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So, let’s start with an example built in 1998 in North Vancouver, BC, Canada.
The pictures and descriptions were found at various websites. Credit and links are given, whenever possible.
Located in the Lower Lonsdale area of North Vancouver, within walking distance of the public market, seabus to downtown Vancouver, restaurants, parks, schools, and other services.
The community is comprised of
19 residential units,
a 2500 sq. ft. Common House and
a 650 sq. ft. commercial space.
The units are of mixed sizes and types with bachelor, 1 and 2 bedroom flats, as well as 2 and 3 bedroom townhouse units.
There are four homes that were sold that qualify as affordable as defined by BC Housing …
… one [affordable] rental unit was retained by the [cohousing] community.
There were certain requirements to qualify to purchase or rent these units. The rental home was built as a Universally Accessible unit and all common areas are wheel chair accessible.
The site is very compact at less than 1/4 of an acre. Townhouses with ground level entries serve the needs of the families with children. A common courtyard connecting to the common house provides child friendly play areas in this dense urban community.
Apartment style homes on the upper floors have spectacular views of the mountains, Burrard Inlet and downtown Vancouver.
The common areas includes a rooftop deck and meditation room on the third floor, providing all residents with access to the inspiring views. On the ground level are the community gardens, a small courtyard, and a commons space with kitchen, dinning room, children’s playroom, guest apartment, laundry, craft room, and office.
This is the official website for Quayside Village.
… The Urban Courtyard at Quayside Village is an inner crossroads. This is a place where neighbours meet, stop for a chat or greet one another in passing. The design incorporates a water feature and trellised vines that reach to the fourth floor, the top story. The intent of the design throughout the project is child friendly.
… On the third level in the southwest corner there is a large deck and an octagonal reading room with a 270-degree city, water and mountain view…
Contact us through our email: quaysidevillage@gmail.com
…Quayside Village is a community consisting of 14 independent units, from a two story townhouse like dwelling to single bedroom units which from outside looked like any condominium building. But nearly all unit doors opened facing one another and the communal courtyard (full of flower beds, a gardener’s delight!)
The Village has … a basement car park and a recycling room. The dining room becomes a communal entertainment center whenever a movie is shown for the benefit of all interested. All this while one could have one’s unit to go to enjoy privacy and cosiness of one’s own home. …
The group activities, including gardening, communal cooking / and cleaning afterwards have interested families or a couple of individuals who organise and manage the events, something that makes residents more engaged if they liked to.
In fact engagement in the activities of the Quayside Village was one of the initial requirements for the founders and the whole process of creating the village. Because all cohousing endeavours begin with a few people who have to collaborate and have inputs at all levels of the enterprise’s stages, finding like minded people, finding locations, dealing with many different ways of financing, the architects and developers and so on.
Grocery store at basement level is part of the project. Notice entry to parking garage at bottom right.
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A very insightful and heartwarming story was written recently by Kathy McGrenera.
This story describes how the project started, what life is like for one mother and her daughter, who grew up here.
Below are some excerpts from her article (I added the bold emphasis):
“In 1996 I joined three women who were determined to start a cohousing project in North Vancouver. Now, nearly 20 years later, it remains one of the best decisions of my life.
At the time, those three wise women were in their 60s. I was approaching 40 and wanting to have a baby as a single woman. I knew I would need “a village to raise a child”, and cohousing, with its community-focused approach, sounded like an ideal scenario
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I have now been living happily at Quayside Village Cohousing with my 16-year-old daughter since she was born. Raising a child in cohousing has been a wonderful experience. My daughter, as an only child, has had the opportunity to develop sibling-like relationships with other kids in the building. She has also been blessed to have many caring adults in her life who act as different role models. Sadly, I think this opportunity is often missing in our isolated nuclear family model of living.
In a world where parents often feel they need to be aware of their child’s safety at all times, my daughter has wandered freely all over our community since the age of three. To make sure I knew where she was, or could find her easily, I taught her to leave her shoes outside the door of whatever home she was visiting.
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Meanwhile, to ensure housing affordability, early on, and in collaboration with the City of North Vancouver, we decided to offer one affordable rental unit in the community and four below market units that sell in perpetuity at 20 per cent below market value. By doing so, we ensure the opportunity to live in cohousing remains accessible, regardless of income.
Despite all of its benefits, living in cohousing is not without challenges. … To deal with these conflicts, it is important that people remain conscious of the many benefits there are to living in close contact with our neighbours. When we can remember we share a community and many common interests, we have much more motivation to work through the difficulties.
In many instances, the conflicts we face can be blessings in disguise. One of the people at Quayside I initially found the most difficult has now become one of my dearest friends. By discussing the challenges I was experiencing and attributing to her behaviour, I came to understand a new perspective. Through our on-going conversations and exchange of ideas, we have built a friendship and my world has become that much richer.
Perhaps one of my favourite things about living in cohousing is the community meals, something many cohousing communities do. At Quayside, we host common dinners on Monday and Thursday evenings at 6:15 p.m. People take turns cooking or cleaning, working alone or in a team. Our meal cycle is eight weeks. This means I usually cook once every eight weeks and during this time, get 16 yummy dinners. Meals usually end up costing about $4 each and children always eat for free. …”
The main entrance is below the down-pointing column of windows.
Notice the octagonal reading room at top right.
IMHO, this plan is a mash-up of 2 plans. Almost all of the first floor is shown, but at the right side someone super-imposed the plan of the roof deck (hiding the apartments in this area on the 1st floor).
To see a good example of cohousing, visit Monterey Cohousing.
This is an inter-generational community located just outside of Minneapolis, MN.
Their website is concise, elegant & delightful.
They describe cohousing very well (bold emphasis added):
“Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes; residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground, and a common house…
We help each other in ways large and small. Examples include sharing information and advice, lending and sharing skills and items of all kinds, and driving each other to appointments…
Cohousing provides the privacy we are accustomed to, within the community we seek.”
Newberry Place is a cohousing community in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
They have built a very well designed village, which looks upscale in quality. It is basically a tight cluster of homes creating a courtyard effect, on a very small parcel. Thus, it could be replicated on many a small, tight bit of land in most cities. And yet it looks cozy and almost suburban :–).
More at a very well designed Facebook page with many good photos:
Providence Cohousing 
