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Senior cohousing gains initial interest from residents
Herald Staff Writer
Martha McClellan and Mary Jackson, who are leading the idea, were drawing heavily from a guidebook by architect and author Charles Durrett, The Senior Cohousing Handbook, which has helped spark a move toward sharing expenses and living areas by seniors across the U.S. The theme already is common in parts of Europe.
Senior cohousing communities are planned communities for seniors incorporating private and common space, an answer to the stereotypical sterile assisted-living facilities.
The idea is to share the aging process.
"But really, the possibilities are limitless with all these great minds at the table," Jackson said. "I'm goose-bumpy."
Durrett was in Durango last month for a signing at Maria's Bookshop.
"At the end of the session, we were so inspired that we thought we had to give this a trial balloon," said Jackson.
Durrett told resident Carol Shepard that cohousing advocates in Durango should think about hiring a "looker," someone to find a designated location for the project. Jackson said she'd like the spot to be within walking distance of downtown and the Durango Community Recreation Center.
Talk at the meeting ventured to the subject of hiring a developer, with several residents voicing support for hiring a reputable developer with a solid track record in cohousing. The party agreed a builder should be involved.
Sustainability Alliance of Southwest Colorado Director Werner Heiber said he'd like to see a passive-solar system and community gardens.
He said a "hybrid" process for establishing the community - one that incorporates home-grown, communal decision-making, and also includes payment to a developer and the selection of designated leader - would work the fastest. He said it perhaps would be the most effective.
Suggested locations for the cohousing site included the developing Three Springs subdivision in Grandview and the proposed Twin Buttes project west of Durango.
"Maybe some of us don't want to live in Twin Buttes, but they would be eager to accommodate us," Heiber said.
The next step is an all-day informational meeting with seniors. McClellan and Jackson said they will consider arranging field trips to view the various types of cohousing scenarios already in Colorado. Several projects in the state, such as the Silver Sage Village in Boulder and Grey Rock Commons in Fort Collins, are considered ahead of the curve.
People at the meeting who are familiar with such projects said they weren't easy to start, but the point is to develop a sense of community within the group, and a physical community will emerge naturally.
"I see the level of interest ... in this room, and I'm just stunned," said resident Enid Brodsky.
"I was expecting maybe five people."
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