10th Anniversary of Cohousing in Madison, WI
From: Karen Ecklund (ecklund.karengmail.com)
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:17:56 -0700 (PDT)
For immediate release


July/August 2009

* *

*TEN YEARS OF COHOUSING TO BE CELEBRATED AUGUST 1*



*Madison, WI – *The city’s three cohousing communities are joining together
to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Village Cohousing Community by
offering a Cohousing Workshop and Tours that are free and open to the
public.



The workshop will be held at Madison's newest community Arboretum Cohousing
on August 1, 10:00 am to noon, 1137 Erin Street.  Self-guided tours of the
Village, Arboretum, and Troy Gardens will follow from 12:30 to 2:00 pm.



Featured speakers include Lou Host-Jablonski, architect at Design Coalition
in Madison; Greg Rosenberg, executive director of Madison Area Community
Land Trust; and Steve Silverberg, partner at Housing Resource Group.



Topics will include the history and models of cohousing, developing a
cohousing community, and the challenges and rewards of living in cohousing.



Cohousing is a form of cooperative living.  It can include individual
dwellings, townhouses and apartments.  In cohousing, the units are
owner-occupied but have the added advantage of community living.  Pioneered
in Denmark in the 1970s, cohousing caught on in the United States in the
late 1980s.



There are now several hundred cohousing communities in the U.S. in various
stages of development.  Most of these communities are self-managed
condominium associations.  Almost all are intergenerational. Cohousing
attracts homebuyers who want to interact frequently with their immediate
neighbors.



Cohousing started in Madison in 1991 with support from a Community
Development Block Grant from the City of Madison.  Design Coalition, under
the leadership of architect Lou Host-Jablonski, sponsored a series of
cohousing workshops, which attracted hundreds of participants.  Out of these
workshops came several groups interested in developing cohousing.



After several years of organizing and searching for property, The Village
Cohousing Community acquired a site from Meriter Hospital.  Design Coalition
developed plans for an 18-unit housing project including two existing houses
and three new buildings.  Construction was completed in 1999.



Troy Gardens Cohousing on Madison’s north side was developed by the Madison
Area Community Land Trust (MACLT) on land acquired from the State.  Since
MACLT's mission is to build affordable housing, twenty of the 32 units meet
the criteria.



Arboretum Cohousing, completed last year, was built on property purchased
from St. Mary's Hospital.  As Madison’s largest cohousing community, Arbco’s
40 condos include new multi-family buildings, free-standing houses, three
townhouses, and a duplex built by Habitat for Humanity.  Amenities include
underground parking, community room, some shared meals, guest rooms, and
play areas.



Community Tours (12:30-2:00 pm)



Arboretum Cohousing

1137 Erin Street (between S. Mills and S. Orchard streets)



Village Cohousing

1104 Mound Street (between S. Mills and Charter streets)



Troy Gardens Cohousing

570 Troy Drive (off Northport Drive near School Road)



RSVP requested

Call Petra Ressler at 251-8861

or email Art Lloyd at aslloyd [at] mailbag.com

Child care available if reserved ahead

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