Overview of Woodard Lane Cohousing Site
Development Proposal for Land Use Permit

(Nov. 30, 2006)

Woodard Lane Cohousing, LLC is comprised of members developing a Cohousing community for their own and others’ habitation. This group began meeting in November 2004, formed an LLC on February 15, 2005, purchased the land on March 24, 2005, and has been planning and creating community ever since. We are developing community through weekly dinner meetings, monthly social events, and quarterly play days or weekends, as well as working together to design and build the housing development. This means lots of meetings and group decision making.

See our attached brochure for our definition of Cohousing, a statement of our values, and expectations and agreements of the persons choosing to join Woodard Lane Cohousing.

We believe that our proposed development and community meets the objectives of OMC Section 18.56.020, Purpose. Building to the maximum density permitted on this lot which is surrounded on three sides by homes and on the fourth by a deep ravine is efficient urban infill. The development is compatible with the neighborhood in style, home size, use, and even to the extent of many like-minded persons. A large Common House could be an asset to social connection for the larger neighborhood. Cohousing offers a living choice for those who prefer daily close contact with neighbors. Because of our small footprint home design and minimum pavement a maximum amount of ground is preserved. The required 50’ set back from the top of the ravine is in alignment with our desires to keep this natural beauty. Grouping the homes in 2, 3, and 4-plexes allows for more open space and wildlife habitat. Keeping most of the trees will provide homes for birds and some of the deer that now live there.

Since two of our primary goals are to live in community and to live lightly on the land, we are proposing a layout and structures that differ from traditional developments in some ways. The numbered statements below are some of our main goals. Under each goal is a list of some of the ways we intend to reach them.

  1. Encourage social interaction.
    1. An inviting Common House between parking and homes
    2. Access to units is for pedestrian and emergency vehicles only
    3. Front porches or patios on all homes for congregating
    4. Homes have a public side looking out onto the Common Green
    5. No visual barrier fences
    6. Shared play structures and areas for children (of all ages)
    7. Shared kitchen, dining, fireplace room, dance hall, activity room, laundry, library, meeting room, mail area, children’s play areas, and more in the Common House.
    8. Shared outdoor areas, play structures, workshop, and food garden
  3. Healthy attractive living space
    1. Park cars near the road and away from the homes
      1. Fumes are farther away from people
      2. Walking is encouraged
      3. More plants rather than pavement
    3. Preserve ground space. Maintain as much green as possible
      1. Stack units
      2. Foot paths rather than driveways to homes
      3. 900sq’ footprint for units
      4. Landscaped garden areas for all to enjoy
      5. The road for fire truck access is topped with grass
    5. Take advantage of as much natural light and solar heat as possible
      1. Each home will have three main walls with windows
      2. Lower units will have 9’ ceilings for more light
      3. The Common House is oriented with south facing windows
    7. Keep natural landscaping
      1. Keep the native trees and plants around the periphery
      2. Use native plants and ferns salvaged on site house sites will be used for landscaping (at least 120).
  5. Conserve energy and resources
    1. Shared walls and small units to conserve heat
    2. Build homes with great insulation and little air loss
    3. One lawn and therefore one lawn mower
    4. One shop for common use
    5. Cooking for large group 2-4 times a week
    6. Shared garden space
    7. Easy, safe, accessible bicycle storage
    8. Shared activity, play, laundry, and crafts rooms
    9. Shared vehicles, boats, and bikes. (e.g. it could be possible for family to own one car instead of two because there are other vehicles available at times.)
  7. Respect individual differences and privacy
    1. Houses will be privately owned as condominiums
    2. A private back or side space and/or decks for each home
    3. Varied and affordable homes to serve differing family needs
    4. Small homes with larger space shared in common
    5. ADA units

Presently, there are four Full Member families, each intending to live in a home in the proposed Woodard Lane Cohousing community. Plus, two Associate Member families have almost completed the guidelines for full membership. 16 Prospective Members are at various levels of interest. Dozens more have attended at least one meeting, many of whom are staying informed of our progress. Some persons are interested in living in Cohousing and not interested in building it.

We would like to break ground in April of 2007 and complete the project one year from then. We may decide to build in two phases, first the Common House and about 3 housing buildings (11 units) and the remaining 3 building (8 units, shop, and garages) after enough families have joined to live in them.

Our plan is for a total of 19 living units (referred to as “homes”) in 6 buildings of 2 to 4 units each. One of these buildings will also contain a shop and garages. The seventh building will be the Common House for everyone’s use.

As you enter the property from Woodard Avenue, on your left will be a duplex over the workshop and 3 two car garages. The parking lot has 29 parking places and ends at the Common House with wheel chair access to the ground/lower level. Here the road ends for car use but is available for emergency vehicles to reach the homes. Up this slight slope is a paved path wide enough for a wagon carrying groceries to pass a stroller or wheelchair. At the top of the slope is the main entrance of the Common House opening into the upper level. Beyond the Common House the path continues in a large oval with paths connecting to each of the 5 buildings of homes, the Common House, and a garden. The center of the oval is a “Common Green” area upon which the homes front. Emergency vehicles can go around the oval on an approved surface topped with grass (e.g. grass-crete). Most of the homes have woods behind them, some also view the deep ravine. The pedestrian path continues out the northeast corner of the property to connect with Muirhead Avenue and Thomas Street NW.

The houses around the circle beginning on the left side just beyond the Common House will contain as follows:

Building A
  1. Home #1 (lower left): 1800sq’ with 4 bedrooms on two floors with a main floor above and a daylight basement with bedrooms below looking out on the ravine.
  2. Home #2 (lower right): 1800sq’ with 4 bedrooms, the reverse of A-1
  3. Home #3 (upper left): 1000sq’ with 2 bedrooms on one floor with a loft.
  4. Home #4 (upper right): 1000sq’ with 2 bedrooms, the reverse of A-3.
Building B
  1. Home #5 (left): 1300sq’ with 3 bedrooms on two floors and a 900sq’ basement below which is part of the common space for the whole development.
  2. Home #6 (lower right): 1800sq’ with 4 bedrooms, the reverse of A-2
  3. Home #7 (upper right): 1000sq’ with 2 bedrooms, the same as A-4
Building C
  1. Home #8 (lower left): 900sq’ with 2 bedrooms on one floor with ADA accessibility
  2. Home #9 (lower right): 900sq’ with 2 bedrooms, the reverse of C-8 also ADA accessible
  3. Home #10 (upper left): 1000sq’ with 2 bedrooms, the same as A-3
  4. Home #11 (upper right): 1000sq’ with 2 bedrooms, the same as A-4
Building D
  1. Home #12 (left): 1300sq’ with 3 bedrooms on two floors with a loft
  2. Home #13 (lower right): 1200sq’ with 3 bedrooms on one floor
  3. Home #14 (upper right): 1300sq’ with 3 bedrooms on one floor with a loft
Building E
  1. Home #15 (left): 2000sq’ with 5 bedrooms on two floors.
  2. Home #16 (lower right): 1300sq’ with 3 bedrooms
  3. Home #17 (upper right): 1400sq’ with 3 bedrooms with a loft
Building F (on top of the shop, 3 two car garages, and bike storage)
  1. Home #18 (upper left): 1000sq’ with 2 bedrooms on one floors with a loft
  2. Home #19 (upper right): 1000sq’ with 2 bedrooms on one floors with a loft

Every unit has one bathroom per floor, with the exception of building E where may have up to 2 bathrooms per floor per unit. Two story units may choose to not install a tub or shower in one of their bathrooms. Every unit will have at least one tub or shower. Each unit will have hook up for a washer and drier, however, owners may choose to use the laundry in the Common House instead. Most units will have the option of installing a gas fireplace or not.

The periphery of the community, including the set back, will be kept as it is, natural with some enhancements. The large garden area will be surrounded by a deer fence and adjacent to the neighbor’s garden fence. The center oval in front of the houses will be a combination of grass, a few trees, and possibly a swing and play structure. The open spaces will be retained and maintained for the enjoyment of all persons having an interest and their guests.

When the buildings are ready for occupancy the development will legally be changed to a condominium. Simultaneously, the dwelling units will be distributed to the Full Members of the Woodard Lane Cohousing, LLC. See the attached “Condominium Declaration for Woodard Lane Cohousing, A Condominium” for the ownership policies and procedures after the building phase is complete. Before and during the building phase the ownership policies are spelled out in the attached, “Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Woodard Lane Cohousing.”

There are two points we would like to present for consideration. They are not necessary for our development to continue as proposed.

1. Offer Cohousing a density bonus because:
  1. Cohousing offers high density with low impact
  2. Cohousing is new to Olympia and although the rules have been on the books for over a decade they have never been tested, therefore, perhaps this was overlooked and if included would better meet the City’s purpose
  3. Cohousing is more similar to cottage housing and townhouses than to other types of developments, and
    1. OMC Section 18.04.080 A.4.b. Cottage housing receives a 20% density bonus, and
    2. OMC Section 18.04.080 A.4.c. Townhouses receive a 15% density bonus

We believe it would be consistent with the City code for Cohousing to receive a 15% or 20% density bonus.

In our development specifically, we have decided on the total amount of footprint to be built upon and the total height of buildings, the added density bonus would mean that we could build two or three more units within this same amount of square footage. Some units would be smaller and we would have higher density for the same impact. Also more families would have the opportunity for the life style offered by Cohousing.

For all of these reasons, we would like you to consider adding to the code a density bonus of 15% or 20% for Cohousing.

2. Include “guest room” in the uses for Cohousing Common House because:
  1. Individual home size can be smaller if a guestroom is available elsewhere
  2. Historically for Cohousing a common guestroom is valued in importance just after the kitchen, dining, and bathrooms.
  3. A guestroom used in common by 19 families would be well utilized
  4. OMC Section 18.04.080 F.1.a. lists several possible feature to be included in common structures and this does not include a guest room.
  5. We have been told that other City regulations prevent us from putting a guest room in the Common House so specifying its acceptability in Cohousing would be necessary for us to include one.

In our development specifically, we have not included a guest room. If this is acceptable we will convert some of the unfinished space in the lower level of the Common House into a guest room.

For these reasons, we would like you to consider adding “guest room” in the City’s Code to the list of possible spaces that can be part of the common area of Cohousing.

Thank you for reviewing our request for a Land Use Permit.

Sincerely, the Members of Woodard Lane Cohousing, LLC