Cohousing: A Community Housing Type For Nashville by Civic Design Center

COHOUSING: A COMMUNITY HOUSING TYPE FOR NASHVILLE

PUBLIC WORKSHOP REPORT

DECEMBER 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Public Workshop Report was developed and produced by the Nashville Civic Design Center (NCDC). This report was prepared by Finis Ray, Design Intern, and edited by Gary Gaston, Design Director. The information included in this report are the results from the cohousing public workshops organized by Nashville Civic Design Center.

Questions and comments may be directed to: COHOUSING PUBLIC WORKSHOP Nashville Civic Design Center 138 Second Avenue, Suite 106 Nashville, TN 37201 (615) 248 - 4280 voice gary@civicdesigncenter.org

The Nashville Civic Design Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit oganization founded in 2000, whose mission is to elevate the quality of Nashville’s built environment and to promote public participation in the creation of a more beautiful and functional city for all.

Nashville Civic Design Center 138 Second Avenue, Suite 106 Nashville, TN 37201 www.civicdesigncenter.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to Cohousing

Biography of Greg Ramsey

Workshop Agenda

Overview Map of Sites

Individual Site Maps and Notes

Selected Photos from Workshop

INTRODUCTION TO COHOUSING COMMUNITY HOUSING FOR NASHVILLE Cohousing is a type of cooperative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods. Cohousing residents are consciously committed to living as a wholly integrated community. The physical design of cohousing communities encourages social interaction, while allowing for an appropriate amount of individual space. The private homes throughout the community feature the amenities offered in conventional homes. However, residents have additional access to open green space, courtyards, children’s playgrounds and a common house. Frequently, members of the community share meals in the common house, while also sharing in childcare, gardening and neighborhood governance. By sharing in each of these aspects, a strong sense of community is fostered and created by the residents. Additionally, cohousing communities promote social and environmental sustainability. As cars are typically parked on the periphery of the community, this allows for a main pedestrian thoroughfare through the community, promoting social interaction among residents. Seeing that the goal of cohousing communities is to create an intentional community, special consideration should be made in the universal accessible design of the residences, while also designing for single residents and families. By incorporating a mix of residences, opportunity for community diversity is created, further promoting social sustainability. Environmental sustainability can also be promoted and achieved in cohousing communities. The homes throughout the community typically incorporate sustainable design features into their construction. Homes should benefit from solar gain and heating, water conservation measures, and grey water recycling. Moreover, a reduction of dependence on vehicles should be created by implementing neighborhood carpooling and car-sharing programs, while encouraging the use of public transportation and bicycling. Communities should also include a shared neighborhood garden in an effort to contribute to the community’s food needs. Incorporating cohousing communities into the landscape of Nashville can only have beneficial effects on the urban development of the city. Cohousing is an innate alternative to suburban sprawl, a land-consuming plague that has been a problematic situation for the sustainability and growth of the urban core of Nashville for many years. Cohousing communities could serve as a means of bringing people into the city and surrounding neighborhoods from the far-flung suburbs of Nashville, thereby increasing residential and economic development. Aside from the sustainable and developmental benefits of cohousing communities, the transportation plans put forth when developing the communities support a decreased automobile dependence and increased reliance on pedestrian traffic and mass transportation. Developing cohousing communities within Nashville will serve as a catalyst for residential growth and subsequent urban development, while also promoting greater sustainability. Moreover, cohousing communities will create the opportunity for Nashville to become a more desirable place to live and further urge the city to meet its personal goal of becoming the “Greenest City in the South.” 4

INTRODUCTION TO COHOUSING COMMUNITY HOUSING FOR NASHVILLE

Duwamish Cohousing, Seattle, Washington

Cambridge Cohousing, Cambridge, Massachusetts

East Lake Commons, Dekalb County, Georgia

Peninsula Park Commons, Portland Oregon

Sonora Cohousing, Tuscon, Arizona

INTRODUCTION TO COHOUSING COMMUNITY HOUSING FOR NASHVILLE In an effort to broaden the understanding of cohousing, learn from the community, and find ways of incorporating cohousing communities into the urban landscape, the Nashville Civic Design Center hosted a Cohousing Week consisting of CityTHINK Cohousing, an Urban Design Forum and Cohousing Public Workshop from September 13 - 17, 2010. CityTHINK Cohousing: Some Assembly Required was hosted on September 14, 2010 and featured conversation between guests Diana Sullivan, John Patrick and Elizabeth Stuart Spencer on the benefits of cohousing communities in Nashville. Diana Sullivan is the spirit behind New American Villages. Her studies include Eco-village Design Practicum of Village Habitat Design and Cohousing Development from Coho University of the Cohousing Association of the United States. She created New American Villages to encourage sustainable communities supported by food production with the idea of a village on a farm in the city. John Patrick retired in April 2010 as a Program Analyst for the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in Washington D.C. He is co-author of the February 2, 2009 report from the OIG on EPA’s mitigation and adaptation efforts to confront climate change. He has completed his course work in the doctoral program in Environmental Science and Policy program at George Mason University, focusing on environmental corporate management and sustainable farming methods. Elizabeth Stuart Spencer works part time as a Licensed Massage Therapist in Lebanon,Tennessee. She has a 30-year history of various community life styles both rural and urban that have involved sustainability. Her experience with sustainability includes alternative methods of heating, organic gardening and food preservation and rainwater collection. She was a founding member of the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association Inc., Lebanon TN and serves as secretary/ treasurer. The panel discussion opened the week’s dialogue on cohousing, leading into the Urban Design Forum spearheaded by Greg Ramsey of Village Habitat Design on Thursday, September 16, 2010. Mr. Ramsey followed up his introduction and discussion of cohousing with a public workshop on Friday, September 17. The workshop allowed members of the community to actively participate in design process of cohousing. The charette saw the community members study the proposed sites in Whites Creek, Germantown, East Nashville, and Hermitage and offer suggestions as to what amenities would allow the communities to function at their greatest potential while benefiting the residents of Nashville. VIDEOS FROM CITYTHINK AND URBAN DESIGN FORUM: CityTHINK Cohousing: Some Assembly Required http://vimeo.com/15198512 Urban Design Forum: Greg Ramsey: Introducing Cohousing to Nashville http://vimeo.com/15205514 6

BIOGRAPHY OF GREG RAMSEY LEADER OF COHOUSING PUBLIC WORKSHOP Greg Ramsey is principal and chief designer of Village Habitat Design, LLC, based in Atlanta, Georgia. He began his study of architecture at a young age with the help of his father, a professor of architecture. Ramsey’s studies continued in France in the cities of Paris and Orléans, while his father studied at the acclaimed École des Beaux Arts and researched Europe’s traditional sustainable communities. Mr. Ramsey earned his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in 1981 and his Master of Architecture in 1991, both from Georgia Institute of Technology. Subsequently, he has studied pedestrian village planning in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, co-authored a conservation community design primer, and worked internationally as a consultant workshop leader and conservation community designer. Mr. Ramsey and his family live in the award-winning Lake Claire Commons, his first built community design and the first cohousing community in Georgia. While Lake Claire was under construction, he designed East Lake Commons, winner of the 2000 World Habitat Award, and the 2001 American Institute of Architects/Housing and Urban Development Award for mixed income and mixed-use projects. Ramsey’s community planning experience helps create a more complete integration of community and privacy in his designs. Moreover, his designs strive to resolve ecology, economics, community, and individual needs to create projects that provide a higher quality of life and a reduced ecological impact. Mr. Ramsey’s goals for Village Habitat, LLC, are to provide a model for better community development practices, to incorporate an education component into each design project, and to help appropriately guide public policy regarding development. The cohousing public workshop, led by Greg Ramsey of Village Habitat Design, LLC, studied the prospects of cohousing communties on specific properties in Germantown, East Nashville’s Riding Academy, Whites Creek and Hermitage-Cumberland River in an effort to elevate the quality of life in Nashville.

COHOUSING PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA

nashville civic design center COHOUSING WORKSHOP Cohousing week concludes with a workshop led by Greg Ramsey on Friday morning. Participants will visit two sites identified by the NCDC. Ramsey will then lead the group through a series of exercises to determine how well the sites could accommodate a cohousing development. This workshop is recommended for developers and designers who might be interested in creating cohousing developments, as well as for individuals that are interested in living in a cohousing community. Registration is required for the workshop – and is limited to 30 participants. For more information, contact Gary Gaston at gary@civicdesigncenter.org, or (615) 248-4280. DRAFT AGENDA September 17, 2010 from 8:00AM – 1:00 PM at Neuhoff (Germantown urban infill site) and Shelby Bottoms (East Nashville Large vacant parcel urban/rural context). •8:00AM – 8:30 AM – Informal gathering and conversations (coffee/breakfast snacks) •8:30 AM – 9:30 AM - Intro to Village Habitat Design and overview of cohousing concepts (differing scales and types), review of identified sites •9:30 AM –10:00 AM - Roundtable: what is your interest in Cohousing – 20 min. Introductions/10min identify break out groups by geographic areas, interest, professions, etc. (have categories ready beforehand) •10:00 AM – 11:30 AM - Site Visits: Urban Infill and location larger site (TBD) •11:30 AM – 12:30 PM - Cohousing Charette - broad strategy as well as site specific goals – based on outcome of group introductions). •12:30 PM – 1:00 PM - Lunch - Break out Groups give summary/update to overall group on findings • IDENTIFIED NASHVILLE LOCATION CRITERIA: Affordable, Partnership (Non-Profits, Protection, Greener Nashville), Zoning (SP, Mayoral Green Community, Future Land Use, City’s “Open Space Master Plan”), Utilities, Proximity (connectivty, greenways), Transportation, Restoration, Urban/ Agriculture, Mixed-Use, Raising Option Money/ Property (Stipulate time period property has been off the market) 8

SITE MAP IDENTIFIED COHOUSING SITES

Highlighted in red are the identified areas studied for the integration of cohousing communities in Nashville. 1. Germantown: Located at 5th Avenue and Taylor Street, the community would have a focus on sustainability, featuring mixed use, multi-floor buildings with versatile dwelling designs. 2. Whites Creek: Located on North Old Hickory Boulevard, the community is envisioned as a self-sustaining cohousing community that encompasses mixed housing to encourage diversity. 3. East Nashville Riding Academy: The community would preserve the equine history of the site, while honoring the river, maintaining natural systems and nurturing the arts. 4. Hermitage: Located off Interstate 40 East and Lebanon Road, the site is imagined as four cohousing communities with a shared eco-village and organic farm. 9

SITE MAP WHITES CREEK

The Whites Creek site, located on North Old Hikcory Boulevard eight miles from downtown Nashville, is envisioned as a self-sustaining cohousing community that encompasses mixed housing to encourage neighborhood diversity. The parcel of land (outlined on the tissue overlay on the above map) would include 30+ acres of leasable farmland and garden plots separate from the farms for residents’ use, further promoting sustainability.

NOTES FROM WORKSHOP WHITES CREEK WHITES CREEK (Two Separate Properties): • • • • • • • • • •

White Street Parkway North Old Hickory Blvd. – Post Office, Richards Cajun Restaurant Beamans Park Area – 1500 acres 8 miles from downtown Metro bus line / Utilities exist Industrial Park / 2-3 miles to shopping Farm pasture, hardwoods, healthy water Fontinelle Property – 125 acres 2 mile walking trail – concert area 2 miles from High School

VISION: • • • •

A self-sustaining community with mixed housing Mixed age groups living in integrated communities – elder to young, children, etc. Farm areas cultivated by farmers on lease basis as well as by residents Gardening area(s), separate from farms

SCOPE: • • • • • •

Two clusters of 35 units (70 total) covering 12 acres of land 30 acres farming Mixed use area (extension of Whites Creek), B&B Coffee, ice cream shop, market, art, artisan display/sales, live work for artisans, alternative medicine clinic space Elder care, Families with children, rental (condo and rooms/dorms), singles Open air venue for weddings 50% scale to 50 acre if 128 acres not feasible

SITE MAP GERMANTOWN

The Germantown site, located at 5th Avenue North and Taylor Street, was studied as a potential neighborhood for the integration of a cohousing community. The community would feature mixed use, multi-storied buildings with versatile dwelling designs. The community would have a focus on sustainability, incorporating roof gardens and shared garden spaces into the design while implementing a car sharing program for the use of the residents.

NOTES FROM WORKSHOP GERMANTOWN GERMANTOWN PROPERTY: • • • • • • •

6 lots on 5th Avenue North & Taylor with a 5 unit building; N. Germantown Café, N. Werthen Mills; Gentle slope, grade Alleys split blocks – Lots of parking Has a Greenway Connector Creating Corner Stopping Points Mixed-use neighborhood zoning Neighborhood – support existing Scott’s Monroe Development Near a recreation center / Old Botanical Restoration

SCOPE: • Mixed age groups/ Multi-generational • Number of Units = 30; 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units (to bring down cost) • Mixed use/ Multi-floor buildings • Incorporate roof garden space • Rentable units • Versatile designs • Sustainability • Shared and private garden space • Incorporate surrounding area amenities - Park - Greenway - Playground - Car sharing - Vehicle parking • Bike Storage

SITE MAP EAST NASHVILLE RIDING ACADEMY

The East Nashville Riding Academy site is imagined as a cohousing community that preserves the equine history of the site while honoring the river and maintaining the natural systems. The community would also be a place for nurturing the arts, and would have amenities such as trails, art studios, retail space to sell artwork, and community gardens.

NOTES FROM WORKSHOP EAST NASHVILLE RIDING ACADEMY EAST NASHVILLE PROPERTY: • • • • •

Old-Riverwood Riding Academy Zoning – Single and Multi-Family (past 400 capacity built homes) Availability as of 9 months ago South facing slope – cave with natural spring in northwest corner – great vistas Greenway access

VISION: • • • • • • •

Maintain equestrian history. Horses as ‘pets’ (not a horse farm). Maintain and enhance ‘natural systems’ Design sustainably. Honor the river (creek); Connections to river: visual, physical DIVERSITY of economic, cultural, race and age A place to nurture the Arts. Work with volunteer/ community building groups – Habitat for Humanity, Americorps, etc.

PROGRAM: • • • • • • • • • • • •

20-30 units on 33 acre parcel with associated common house 15-20 units on 22 acre parcel with associated common house Agricultural land Horses Trails Art studios Gardens Possible retail space to sell artwork Parking Water harvesting and reuse Riparian and Residential Buffers Transportation connections – greenway, roads, etc.

SITE MAP HERMITAGE - CUMBERLAND RIVER

The Hermitage-Cumberland River site, a 225 acre parcel of land, located off Interstate 40 East and Lebanon Road, is imagined as four cohousing communites with a shared eco-village and organic farm.The cohousing communities will be comprised of mixed housing for community diversity, and the ecovillage will include a farmer’s market, artisan galleries and day care.

NOTES FROM WORKSHOP HERMITAGE - CUMBERLAND RIVER HERMITAGE: • • • • • • • •

225 acres I-40 East, Lebanon Road, Hickory Hill Lane – Ravenwood Country Club Greenway Connection,YMCA Partnership – Land Trust, TDR, Conservation,Village / Community Train station within 2-3 miles of site Shopping within 1 mile of site Bikable River frontage – 1 mile

VISION: This 225 acre property is an oasis of green space and cohousing. 90% of the land is permanently protected as woodland or farm space. Four cohousing communities share an Eco-Village space with approximately 120 units for mixed use spaces and a price range of housing of $150k - $600k. Organic farming, trails, and river access grace the property. Only 10% of the land (28 acres) is developed. SCOPE: • • • •

4 Cohousing communities – 120 units total 1 Eco-Village 1 River center/ common area overlooking river 1 Nature center and trail system

Communities include intergenerational, elder care and mixed use. EcoVillage includes live work, farmer’s market, artisan galleries, music, day-care, B&B units include rental/affordable spaces for teachers, senior care, office service to trade labor for lodging. Farm includes organic fruit and vegetable orchards, vineyard, goats, and sheep. Natural areas include 500-foot riverbank buffer zone, trails, nature center and ponds. Relationship with the school includes an outdoor classroom, garden space, and magnet school for sustainability. NEXT STEPS: Explore partnerships with USDA, Land Trust, Metro Nashville and Greenways. Find out the current owner’s attitude toward selling price; see if business plan makes sense.

SELECTED PHOTOS FROM WORKSHOP