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Construction started on Eastern
Village cohousing
BY LISA MACKIE
Illustration courtesy
of Eco Housing Corporation
The groundbreaking for Eastern
Village, the new cohousing development at 7981 Eastern Ave.
in Silver Spring, was held on July 2. The event was well attended
according to Ann Zabaldo, Cohousing Coordinator for Ecohousing,
the development company which initiated the project.
"It went fabulously well," said Zabaldo, adding,
"There was lots of great food and folks." She reported
there were about 100 attendees, including Councilmember Tom
Perez, Elizabeth Davison from the Department of Housing and
Community Affairs, and Steve Silverman, Councilmember at large,
whose speeches welcomed the project as part of the revitalization
effort of South Silver Spring.
After the ceremonies were over, the real work began. In the
demolition phase of the process, the office building is being
completely gutted. When that is finished, construction will
begin on the interior. At this point, 36 households have committed
to purchase, with 19 units not yet released by the developer.
The members who have already signed up have participated in
the design of the building and the individual units. They
decide as a group how to make use of common areas.
"We have a healthy waiting list," commented Zabaldo,
implying that the rest of the units will quickly fill up.
She thinks the "green aspect [of the community] has
attracted a lot of people." They are expecting to have
"30 to 60 percent energy savings" over conventional
building methods by using geothermal heating and cooling,
among other green building methods.
Residents were also attracted by the cooperative nature of
the community. One retired member said she expects to be "around
all age groups there." She said it "will be nice
to have someone to depend on, someone to call on." For
her part, she suggested, "Perhaps I could babysit or
be helpful in that respect."
However, she did voice some concern that the neighboring
storage facility might build another story on to the existing
building, blocking light from reaching the first floor apartments.
She chose her apartment because it was the best spot for her
plants. If her plans don't work out, she said, "I'd be
very disappointed." Since she has already made her commitment
and paid, she wouldn't be able to switch apartments. She added,
"You can't get your money back."
Zabaldo said the building should be completed by the end
of summer, 2004, construction taking only 14 to 15 months.
People interested in becoming members or learning more about
cohousing can visit the website http://www.easternvillage.org.
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