| Page 2 of 2 < |
Condos Where Joiners Get Their Wish
Birthday boy Natan Kimelman-Block (pink hat) and sister Esther Kimelman-Block, to his right, celebrate his big day at Silver Spring's Eastern Village with friends.
(Courtesy Of Glenn Chinery)
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
"It's very exciting to practice what you preach," said Kara Strong, 36, an architect who is a green building consultant and works in a wing of the building that has 11 commercial and live-work units that are not part of Eastern Village.
For Strong, the environmental features go beyond low-emission siding and carpeting, however.
"There are also shared resources. For example, I borrowed my neighbor's laser level and didn't have to go out and buy something I'm only going to use occasionally," she said.
The environmental features are saving residents a lot of green, too. For example, Friedman pays an average of just $30 a month for electricity, which includes heat, in her 960-square-foot loft unit. Because Eastern Village is close to the Silver Spring Metro and MARC trains and has a Metro bus stop in front of its courtyard, many residents, like Friedman, don't own cars.
Friedman, who is the assistant executive director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, served as the coordinator of Eastern Village's landscaping committee, helping choose the dogwoods, red buds, cone flowers and inkberry bushes that fill the courtyard. The plants are species native to the area and also don't need much watering.
Strong enjoys being able to share her skills and get help from others in the community.
"It's my first home, and it's nice to know that people I know and trust [bought] before me. Neighbors negotiated reduced rates for movers. I may have not known about mortgages, but someone else did," she said. "I can contribute my architectural expertise in exchange. That's the kind of utopian version. But when it happens, it's great."
And when it doesn't happen?
"There are 80 people with 80 different opinions. We try really hard to reach consensus, and that can be really challenging. The good part is when you do reach a decision, everyone has a certain stake in it," Strong said.
Sylvan points to a year-long discussion over how clean the common areas should be. In the end, residents negotiated with the cleaning company they contract with for more flexible choices in cleaning.
Reaching consensus doesn't mean everyone has to completely agree with everyone else, Sylvan said. "But we want people to be able to at least live with the choice. Consensus addresses the underlying concerns. Sometimes decisions take a little longer, but they stick."
According to Elaine Barber, 32, "People who are most successful here are those who don't have a lot of preconceived ideas. It's almost like you have to be hopeful, but not too idealistic."
But residents say any frustrations with cohousing are overwhelmingly offset by the rewards.
Strong summed up cohousing's most important attributes this way: "It's knowing you're not alone in the world."
