Area off Crystal Lake Drive will feature shared facilities, meals

In less than two months, a unique housing development more than five years in planning will break ground in south Corvallis.

Construction on the CoHo Cohousing project, which will add 34 new homes and townhouses on property off Crystal Lake Drive near the cemetery, is expected to begin this summer, with the groundbreaking ceremony planned for April 18.

Project manager and future resident Bruce Hecht said there are 10 units remaining to be sold, a mix of market-rate homes and affordable housing through Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services. HomeLife, an organization serving adults with developmental disabilities, also will have a group home at CoHo.

Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents participate in the design and operation of their neighborhoods. Cohousing communities combine the advantages of private homes with the benefits of “sustainable” living, including shared facilities and ongoing connections with neighbors, according the Cohousing Association of the United States.

“They’re designed to facilitate social interaction,” Hecht explained.

Residents are committed to living as a community and are selected through a self-

screening process.

The benefits cohousing offers are many, say organizers. Hecht said he’s looking forward to not having to cook every night, yet being able to enjoy a home-cooked meal. Although the exact details haven’t been finalized, CoHo residents will share several meals each week at the community center, rotating who does the cooking.

Also in the community center, there will be a large kitchen and dining area, room to store food and places for children, adults and seniors to gather and play. There will be a music room, library and centrally-located laundry facility.

Valerie Hervey, a CoHo member, said cohousing has many structural similarities to living in an apartment complex, or a subdivision with a homeowners association. The difference is those are places to live, while cohousing is a place for people who want to know their neighbors.

At CoHo, residents must complete a class on non-violent communications, and decisions will be made by consensus. For people looking to be part of a community, CoHo might be the answer, Hervey said.

CoHo’s 6.8-acre site was purchased from Benton County at a discounted rate and annexed into the city in 2004. The homes will be built incorporating “green” standards for energy efficiency, such as the use of solar-powered hot water heaters.

At the site, CoHo has preserved native species, including a giant oak tree estimated to be up to 400 years old, which will be the centerpiece of the view to the east toward the Willamette River. Much of the woodland forest will remain and runoff water will be collected. Camas plants carpet a portion of the site near a wetland and edible species, such as fruit trees and blueberry bushes, will be added.

Neighborhood Housing Services Director Jim Moorefield said the project is striking from an environmental standpoint.

“They’ve been able to save natural features by not splitting it into lots,” Moorefield said.

At a glance

WHAT: CoHo Cohousing welcome weekend events

FRIDAY: Creating an old-fashioned neighborhood in a new way, 7 p.m., Corvallis Arts Center, 700 S.W. Madison Ave. An overview and project update from members of CoHo Cohousing.

SATURDAY: Walk the land, 10 a.m., CoHo Cohousing site, Crystal Lake Drive and Alexander Avenue. Visit the 6.8-acre site and see plans for the cohousing development.

Vegetarian Potluck social at 5:30 p.m. at 1325 N.W. Alta Vista Drive. Call 758-3347 if you plan to attend.

SUNDAY: Brunch at 11 a.m. at New Morning Bakery, 219 S.W. Second St.

Community meeting, 5:15 p.m., Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services, 257 S.W. Madison Ave.

INFORMATION: info@cohousing-corvallis.com or Susan Hyne at 753-4453 or Juva Duboise at 908-5882

ON THE NET: www.cohousing-

corvallis.com