Olympia's first co-housing development to open soon

OLYMPIA - The city's first co-housing development - a modern twist on a 1960s-style commune, but with private living areas and common shared areas - will open soon on the west side.

Woodard Lane Cohousing, a $4 million, 2.9-acre complex at 1620 Woodard Ave., is set to open in April. It initially will feature 11 living units and an additional unit that will be used for common gatherings and guest quarters, all in three buildings set around a common lawn.

It’s the culmination of five years of meetings and more years of dreaming for the charter members of the co-housing group, who want to live together as a community.

“It’s being able to step out my door and have community,” said Liv Monroe, one of the soon-to-be residents. “Not having to get in my car and go somewhere.”

The development shouldn’t be confused with a commune, where people share their living spaces and belongings, and often work together or even make products. The Woodard Lane living units are private and are sold like condominiums. Residents also will pay a maintenance fee, about $300 to $450 a month, to keep up common areas, pay for insurance and cover all utilities, Monroe said.

But what sets it apart from other developments are the common areas, and the fact that the residents choose to live with one another. Many of the people moving in have known one another for years.

Plans call for eventually building a common house, a place for residents to gather to watch movies, hold celebrations and eat community meals. The second phase would include additional units that would bring the total to 19 to 21 or more, said Cj Russo, another member of the community. A community garden and even a chicken coop are planned, said Anne Clark, another member.

The development is meant to be green. The multifamily homes with a shared lawn require fewer environmental resources than individual homes. The homes themselves are green, with solar panels that are used to heat water both for bathing and for floor pipes that radiate heat into the units. The units are built to take advantage of natural light.

Three units remain for sale, and Russo said the group is looking for a family with young children to join the community, to add diversity. The idea is to have a diverse community of all ages.

Getting to this point hasn’t been easy for the co-housing enthusiasts. Russo said he has been talking about the concept for 15 years, but people interested in it have come and gone.

“We met for three years and basically got together every week,” he said. “We weren’t able to realize our dreams.”

The co-housing effort that resulted in the Woodard development started five years ago. The group now meets weekly, sharing a meal and talking about the permanent community they soon will inhabit.

It has attracted both longtime Olympians, such as Russo and Monroe, and Clark, who moved to Olympia from South Burlington, Vt., to live in the complex.

She said she has experienced the extremes of living situations; in her 40s, she lived in the East Wind Community, a commune in Missouri. But she last lived in a traditional condominium in Vermont, where she knew few of her neighbors.

“In the whole five and a half years I was there, I knew one (neighbor) real well,” she said. “It was so lonely. There was no community.”

The concept of co-housing is becoming more popular nationwide. The Cohousing Association of the United States lists 123 co-housing groups that either occupy co-housing or are forming. Of those, 19 are in Washington, including Woodard Lane. That total is second only to California, which has 47.

“It’s pretty exciting to be where we are now,” Monroe said.

Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869

mbatcheldor@theolympian.com