Community by Design

Voluntary Simplicity Meets the World of Housing

by Cat Saunders

Box 30712, Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 325-5377

Cat: How did your vision of the Third Street Cottages evolve?

Ross: I must say that I have always be drawn toward designing smaller, richer spaces. As a young boy, I would imagine magical treehouse villages in the woods near our house. They would be very alive places for me, filled with detail.

Years ago, I worked in a large architecture office that designed shopping centers and drive-in banks. I felt sapped of any inspiration or energy. I also worked with a architect designing large expensive houses. Often for a retired couple, these houses seemed to made to impress others rather than to live in, with their portquechers, grand foyers, and elaborate (seldom used) living rooms. Bathrooms were everywhere. The actual living space of the house was a small part of the whole. To me, this all seemed so devoid of real life, and an extravagant waste of resources.

In my own work over the last twenty years, I've been encouraging people to consider their true needs and priorities, and helping them envision the space that brings them the deepest enjoyment.

In April of 1996, I met Jim Soules when I was giving a talk called, " Strategies for Designing Smaller Houses," for the Northwest Ecobuilding Guild. Jim came up afterward, and we quickly discovered a shared passion for building smaller, richer houses. Soon we began exploring possibilities for creating a neighborhood of cottages.

Our first ideas were really just scaled down versions of standard development: small houses on small lots on a lane. Later we visited the Pine Street Cottages in Seattle. These are worker cottages from the 1920's which have been recently renovated by John Kucher with Marcia Gamble Hadley. The development pattern here is quite different. Ten four hundred-square-foot houses surround a common green. They are very close together, cheek to jowl, and the only private outdoor space is the back porch. Yet, when we walked through the gate, we were brought to a hush. I found myself whispering to Jim about how beautiful it was, how private it was, and how safe it felt.

With this as an inspiration, we saw the possibility to do a similar project in Langley, where I live, within the scope of our Cottage Housing Ordinance.

Cat:What's the Cottage Housing Ordinance?

Ross: The ordinance is one of the first of its kind in the Northwest. Langley's Comprehensive Plan includes various options for increasing the density of urban growth areas, while respecting quality-of-life and environmental concerns. One offshoot of this comprehensive plan is the Cottage Housing Ordinance, which allows for planned developments of up to twelve small houses. They can be no more than 650 square feet on the first floor, or more than 975 square feet total area, including a second floor. A recent amendment to the code now allows one half of the cottages to be 800 square feet with the same total area. Each cottage must be adjacent to a common area.

Cat: Who owns the Commons?

Ross: Each cottage owner has a share in the commons. The cottages are developed and sold under a condominium-type ownership, similar to other condominiums, except that the cottages are separate, detached houses. The homeowner's association maintains the common areas and the exteriors of the buildings. Homeowners have exclusive use of the inside of their homes and their immediate yards and garden spaces.

Cat: When we were on the construction site, I noticed that you and the workers were reluctant to talk about the actual square footage of the cottages.

Ross: If people hear "eight hundred fifty square feet," they think, "There's no way I could live like that!" Yet when people walk into one of the cottages, they say, "This is wonderful! Look at all this space!" With nine-foot ceilings and high windows bringing in light, the perceived space feels much larger than your typical house with standard eight-foot ceilings, poor organization, and closed-in space. There is ample storage space, including a standing height attic.

In addition to the cottage, everyone has a detached storage unit. There's also a community tool shed, and a project building. This space would be perfect to winter-over plants, re-cane a chair, or fix a bicycle. It has a wood stove, so people can come around during the winter. It also has an open-air roof terrace, partly covered. All of these together make the individual houses functionally much larger.

Cat: I like how your project is a community by design, yet it's different from co-housing or intentional communities.

Ross: Cottage housing is like co-housing without the meetings! What we're doing is similar to co-housing in that there are separate households and some common shared spaces, but we're going through the lengthy -- and sometimes tedious -- design and development process before people purchase the homes. There are still ample decisions to be made later, which can draw the group together.

This kind of development is also different from intentional communities, which revolve around a particular set of values or beliefs.

Cottage housing is more like an old-fashioned neighborhood, woven together by sidewalks and gardens. A sense of community is fostered by the layout of the space. You're sitting on your porch, and you wave hello to a person coming up the walk. In the evening, you might hear your neighbors playing guitar on their front steps and you go over to sing along with them. Maybe you meet a neighbor at the mailboxes at the end of the walk, and you stop to chat. These aren't forced interactions. They happen in the natural course of daily life.

We've also given a lot of attention to the sense of privacy. There is a carefully designed sequence of space between public and private to ensure personal boundaries, including consideration of views to the outside.

Cat: Who are the best candidates for cottage housing?

Ross: Our cottages would be ideal for individuals, couples, and single parents. We also have one couple with a young child. I must note that although the cottages are great for retirement-age people, they are not designed for the elderly. There are a couple of steps on the front porch, and the loft space is accessed with a steeply inclined staircase.

Cat: I know some sprightly elderly people who would love that!

Ross: As do I! My parents-in-law were here last week, and they loved it.
When my mother-in-law walked into the courtyard, she exclaimed, "These are just like the bungalow cottages at Far Rockaway!" She spent her childhood summers at a seaside community on Long Island, New York, during the 30's. She remembered the life on the porches, and the streets just for walking-no cars were allowed.

America is ruled by the automobile. Go to most any suburban neighborhood and ask, "Who lives here?" Well, two cars live at this house, and oh, three cars live over there. Huge garages dominate our streetscape. We drive right into our houses!

In times past, people interacted on the front stoop or the sidewalk. Now the street is basically off limits except for cars, and everybody is sequestered to their back yards. There is an epidemic of isolationism. We're not able to support one another. We don't have safe streets because we're not looking onto the streets.

Cat: That's a powerful statement!

Ross: At the Third Street Cottages, all the kitchen windows and porches face the commons area, so a stranger would be noticed. This will be a safe community, because neighbors who know each other can take note of anything unusual.

Cat: What kind of response have you gotten from Langley residents? Any objections?

Ross: There have been some objections, but mostly we've received wonderful support, including compliments from both sides of the spectrum-from radical environmentalists as well as developers.

The basic objection we've heard has to do with cars. People were afraid that the householders would bring two or more cars, which would mean 16 or twenty cars for the eight cottages. This is not what's happening. Most people coming have only one car. People are walking, and the bus line is a half a block away.

Another objection had to do with the perceived density. The woman who lives across the street wrote a stinging letter to the local authorities when she heard about plans for the project. I tried to talk with her personally, but she refused, so I invited her to the opening celebration. She attended. Afterward, she came up to me, almost with tears in her eyes. "Ross," she said, "I'll eat that letter! What you're doing is so beautiful and such a wonderful addition to our neighborhood. I may even sell my house and buy one of the cottages!" That told me that we were doing something right.