Co-housing planned for Olympia

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.

Investors in the project contribute as much as $20,000 for full membership. The money is used to plan the project and as down payment on a house, Russo said. The corporation so far has accepted a minimum $5,000 contribution to join, but Russo said all members must be able to afford a house.

Though some members might pay less than others to join the corporation, “you have to demonstrate the financial ability to buy a house,” Russo said.

The Woodard Lane property is a little less than 3 acres. Developers term such projects “in-fill,” meaning they are built on whatever land is available in urban, developed neighborhoods. The goal often is to build smaller, more affordable and environmentally sensitive developments.

Woodard Lane designs call for homes ranging from 900 square feet to 1,700 square feet.

Thurston County’s median home-sale price in December was $254,571, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Costs

“Our best guess at this point, for the smaller units, the cost would be below $250,000,” Russo said. “As the units increase in size, the cost would increase. We’re definitely trying to keep it at $400,000 or less.”

Bergdorf described Woodard Lane as a low-impact development.

“We’ve left a large chunk of the trees up without taking them down,” he said. “We’re trying to be Earth-sensitive.”

Bergdorf said pavement would be kept to a minimum by designing parking on one side of the property, without driveways leading to attached garages. This not only improves site drainage but encourages residents to walk over common ground to their homes, a design feature that encourages neighbors to meet and talk, Bergdorf said.

Stages

If city officials grant construction permits this year, most initial construction work would be limited to site preparation, such as building sidewalks and extending utilities to the site, Russo said.

Construction of the first building could start as soon as a month after site preparation begins, he said.

Cohousing units are not necessarily the least expensive housing available, said Kraig Chalem, a city planner who has been working with the Woodard Lane owners. But the smaller units including common walls allow owners to obtain new housing for less than a larger new home might cost on the same land, he said.

“In light of today’s housing prices and the price of land, cohousing is becoming more and more attractive,” Chalem said.