Marsh Commons

“Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods. Cohousing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The physical design encourages both social contact and individual space. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground and a common house.”

The Cohousing Association of the United States

The focal point of our community is our Common building. When we purchased the building it was a dilapidated truck garage surrounded by a chain link fence and gravel parking lot. We saw this as an opportunity. Rather than convert another piece of Northcoast forest or farm into real estate, we had hoped to reclaim a piece of tired land. We were lucky to find a dilapidated piece of property a short walk to the main City Plaza that bordered the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary Arcata Marsh,. We were able to save the essential frame -- the main structure and the sturdy old timbers that hold it up. We are pleased that new logs from endangered forests were not sacrificed for our project. Many of our Saturday "work parties" consisted of rewiring and cleaning the old hanging enameled steel light fixtures, pulling and sorting old wood, and removing nails. It is good knowing the old plywood and lumber has been given a new life in our new floors, walls, and ceilings. The City of Arcata granted us funds to revegetate the old slough that separates our property from the rest of the marsh with native plants and wind and sight screens. Elsewhere, the three "F"s -- fragrance, flowers, and fruit -- guided us to bringi back a piece of paradise We are now a natural extension of the Arcata Marsh, and home to Great Egrets, Red Shouldered hawks, California Quail, and darting Anna’s Hummingbirds.

Living Sustainably

We were also able to salvage an old barn in the neighborhood. It contained old-growth redwood lumber, a commodity that would be otherwise impossible for us to use. Almost all of the ancient redwood forests that used to run along a narrow strip of the California coast are now gone, leveled at the turn of the century. (Several of the nearby remaining old groves had become the focus of a battle between local citizens and a giant lumber company. The Headwaters Preserve is less than twenty minutes drive) From our demolition work, we were able to extract 88 ten-foot 2" by 6" boards from the barn. They were sliced and milled into wainscoting that lines our Common House dining room. The flooring in many of the individual homes also came from other old structures in the area. We have also used sustainable new materials for the project. For example, the rugs in the Common House and in many of the private homes are made from recycled pop bottles. The paint is recycled. All of the buildings are made from Smart Wood, certified sustainably harvested lumber from ecologically managed forests in the area. We used Marmoleum, which is fabricated from flax or linseed, rather than petrochemical-based floor coverings. Our decking is trex, a recycled plastic product that requires no maintainance and will still be serviceable when our children are seniors.

      We also wanted to be near to town to be part of the local economy and to reduce our dependency on cars. We are finding that our commercial rental space is a bridge to the economics of our larger community. Some of us work in that space and don't need to drive long distances to work. The money that we all save in travel and car expenses will go toward supporting local stores and our community. By keeping our money near to home, we keep jobs in the neighborhood. Because we are close to downtown and have a relaxed, convenient Common House meeting room, we have become a favorite meeting place for the local Green Party and other local organizations whose modest rent helps us meet expenses.