A 33-unit co-housing development at 114 Delmar St. in the East End, will break ground this week.
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The development, which calls itself the first of its kind in Texas, is set on a 1.5-acre lot and consists of units with one to four bedrooms. The nonprofit CoHousing Houston cites the development's sustainability and communal living as its appeal. Its sustainable elements include geoexchange air conditioning, solar-ready roofs and energy recovery ventilation, according to architect English & Associates, a firm that emphasizes sustainability.
Members say the development is intended to foster a sense of belonging through a shared common purpose, reducing isolation via physical and social design that promotes community interaction, and the possibility of cost-sharing for living expenses like transportation, groceries and internet usage.
"In co-housing, you're actually buying the community, you're buying the people and the life and all of that," CoHousing Houston member Kelly Soika said in a January podcast on the development. "The value is in that."
Interested potential residents are invited to become "explorers" to determine if co-housing is a good option for them. Residents can then purchase condominiums, with access to shared spaces like a 4K SF space for community dinners and meetings, as well as a community garden and other outdoor spaces. Units will cost between $330K and $780K, according to Houstonia Magazine. The units will include homeowners association fees, which the nonprofit says are comparable to other condo developments and will be priced with input from the community.
Kathleen English of English & Associates is designing the project, and she will also live there. David Kelley, partner with Troon Development, is a development partner, as is Kathryn McCamant, president of CoHousing Solutions, and Bryan Bowen, architect with Caddis PC.
Fourteen households are already attached to the project, which is expected to be completed in 2023.
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