Cohousing is an international housing style pioneered in Denmark more than 40 years ago, designed to foster true community among all residents.
by Kathryn Hazel with assistance from Suzanne Gregory
Have you ever wished that you lived where your children didn’t have to dodge cars? Could build that cabinet for your didgeridoo collection, without having to buy all the tools? Had somebody to watch the baby while you were busy shampooing the dog?
Then cohousing may be for you! Cohousing is an international housing style pioneered in Denmark more than 40 years ago, designed to foster true communityamong all residents.
Cohousing starts and ends with the people who will live there. Would-be residents are fully involved in the planning, design and execution of their cohousing development, and once it is built, with its operation and maintenance.
As future residents of cohousing, you — not any developer — decide what you want the building to look like, what amenities it will have, how it will be heated, how it will be landscaped, what environmentallyfriendly features you want built in.
The goal is to re-establish the many advantages of traditional villages within the context of modern lifestyles, by creating plenty of opportunities for neighbourly interaction while ensuring full privacy in each home.
Now Nanaimo will soon be the site of the first Cohousing development on central Vancouver Island. Pacific Gardens Cohousing Community is in the final stages of its architectural design, and construction is scheduled to begin in January of 2006.
Pacific Gardens will be a 25-unit townhouse-style project with one, two, three and four bedrooms to accommodate families, seniors and singles of all ages. Located on 4.37- acre parcel of land next to the Chase River, the site includes a seasonal pond, heritage apple trees, and organic gardens, and has a spectacular view of Mount Benson.
A green-oriented development, Pacific Gardens will follow the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines in its construction. The design is pedestrian- friendly and incorporates high standards of energy efficiency with low environmental impact.
The common house will be the heart of the community, with a large kitchen and dining/meeting hall, a children’s playroom, a lounge overlooking Mount Benson, a soundproof room for music practice, and rooms for crafts, woodworking, teen activities and exercise.
The stated mission of Pacific Gardens is “to develop a successful and sustainable cohousing community in Nanaimo, which embodies the principles of community, cooperation, consensus, and respect for all life.”
Most importantly, though, Pacific Gardens is designed to be a place where neighbours become friends, where privacy is just an arm’s length from a comforting shoulder and a helping hand.
It will be a place where you can walk barefoot to your yoga class or t’ai chi session, practise the tuba without disturbing the neighbours, and where your teens will have a place to gather other than the mall. In short, a welcoming, friendly community.
If you would like to find out more about Pacific Gardens, go on a tour of the site, or see the design plans, come to our office in the Port Place Mall in Nanaimo, next door to the CIBC bank, or contact Valerie Mumford at 250-754-3060.
You can also check us out at our website, www.pacificgardens.ca, or e-mail us at: cohousing@pacificgardens.ca. Be part of a lifestyle where you can truly belong!
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