Our History

Quickie Summary - From Start to Present

Our group formed in May 2002. Soon thereafter, we purchased a plot of land in downtown Eugene. After consulting with several architects and developers, it became clear that self-development would be our best option. We hired an architect - Jonathan Stafford of Eugene, Oregon - and started the design process. At this point we are working with a construction company - Gale M. Roberts, Inc. - and are nearly ready to break ground.

Group Process Phase

During the design phase, we took time to focus on group process and values. We held our first consensus training in July 2005 with nationally-acclaimed consensus trainer Tree Bressen. This was so valuable that all new members now take the training within their first year. We also completed a community visioning process which resulted in our Community Values Statement. And we have been holding brainstorming sessions on various topics in preparation for creating community guidelines. (For example: pets, smoking, parking, etc.)

Design and Construction Status Over The Years

2004: The City of Eugene expands the boundaries of the Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) district specifically to include our property. This means that each unit will be eligible to apply for a ten-year property tax exemption.

2005: The City of Eugene approves an adjustment review allowing us to build our project according to best cohousing design standards. Among other things, this allows us to increase bicycle parking, add a sunroom, and add passive solar lighting to first floor common areas.

2006: We work with a professional appraiser to develop a relative unit-pricing formula. (When we receive the finalized total project cost, we'll plug that number into the formula to get each unit's cost.)

2007: We finalize designs and send them out for construction bids. We select a contracting firm, and we plan to break ground on September 21.

For more up-to-the-minute status, click here.