Co-housing planned for Olympia

‘Community living’ project aims to foster neighborly interaction

By Jim Szymanski | The Olympian • Published February 03, 2008

After more than three years of planning, a new style of housing development for Olympia will be reviewed for approval later this month by a hearings examiner.

The proposed Woodard Lane Cohousing project is part of the nation’s “community living” trend that promotes social interaction among residents in the design while maintaining independent living.

Woodard Lane, if fully built, would include five fourplexes built around a central lawn and incorporate a larger “common house” where community tools might be stored and meals could be cooked and shared.

Each owner-occupied unit would have a kitchen, but so would the common house where residents could team up to cook meals and interact.

“The whole idea is to bump into your neighbors more often,” said Liv Monroe, who is managing the limited-liability corporation formed to plan and develop Woodard Lane Cohousing.

Seven families have invested and become members of the corporation.

A January story in The Seattle Times reported on 15 established or forming cohousing communities around Seattle and about 90 nationwide.

Condominium

Woodard Lane is not a commune, where residents share common living spaces, Monroe said. From a legal point of view, the project is considered a condominium, she said.

Monroe said that although the Olympia corporation hopes to attract more investors, two of the fourplexes could be built this year if city officials grant building permits.

“It’s a first for Olympia,” corporation founder Cj Russo said.

There have been other attempts to develop cohousing in Olympia, Russo said. He was part of an effort that began 15 years ago but failed because of a lack of financing, he said.

Home show

The idea for the Woodard Lane project was hatched at an Olympia home show three years ago, Russo said.

At that show, Russo encountered “green” homebuilder Scott Bergdorf, who had an option to buy the property that the corporation acquired from him.

“(Bergdorf) sold it to us at cost, with no strings attached,” Russo said.