Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: BIG Co-housing. Who Loves It? Who Hates It?

[katie-henry (katie-henry]

> I want to know how people feel the chances are for a co-housing
success story in a large mixed-use single-building multi-family
structure.

My community, Eastern Village Cohousing in Silver Spring, MD (on the edge of 
DC), is probably as close to this model as you'll find in the U.S. We have 56 
units in the cohousing community, plus another 11 units that are being sold for 
mixed use (some are going residential, some office), in a four-story 
multi-family building in an urban area with no onsite parking (we use an 
adjacent county parking garage). 

I'm a building geek and not a process person, so I have no brilliant insights 
to offer about how well our community works. (Not that well, in my opinion, 
with size being an important factor, but also speed of development and nature 
of the DC economy, where a number of residents just wanted a condo. But this is 
my only cohousing community, so I have no grounds for comparison.)

The mixed-use aspect is irrelevant unless (1) you are expecting the cohousing 
community to own and operate the building, including managing the commercial 
space, or (2) the customers or occupants of the commercial space will be 
sharing space with the cohousing community (beyond possibly a common lobby). In 
any urban area you will find highrise buildings that have commercial/public 
uses on the ground floor and condos/apartments on the upper floors. With proper 
attention to the details (security, noise control, prevention of smells and 
pests from food-related businesses, etc.), this type of arrangement can work 
well for everyone.

The proposed size (100 units) is way too big. Someone in another reply 
suggested splitting into several smaller related communities -- perhaps a 
senior community plus a family-oriented community, or something similar. Sounds 
like a good plan to me.

Katie
Eastern Village Cohousing
Silver Spring, MD