A CoHousing project in Eltham – July 2021 Participant Expression of Interest

For the last few months we have been collaborating with a CoHousing group interested in creating a project in and around Nillumbik and have secured a site in Eltham.

The project aims to deliver:

1. Long term stability & community for members
2. Around 20 homes for around 40 residents
3. Well designed high quality townhouses and apartments with high environmental performance. Targeting 7+ stars
4. A mix of dwelling sizes from 1 beds through to 4 beds
5. Multiple pathways to participation with at cost ownership being the main focus but also incorporating affordable rental
6. Homes at cost (targeting a minimum 15% less than market value)

The vision for the project is:

• To follow the Danish model of CoHousing described in the book Creating Cohousing. This model has been successful in over 1,000 developments around the world, and places an emphasis on sustainability, village living and shared resources and affordability.
• Village living with emphasis on shared common facilities and gardens to encourage community living and connection at all stages of life. This is not about shared housing or creating a commune, its about creating private houses with shared facilities to achieve this goal.
• Intergenerational living bringing together singles, families, children and elders. Age diversity allows retirees looking to downsize to partner with younger family members to live in community with each other. Another goal is to create an ideal environment for children to thrive, growing up with community and other kids, and ability for parents to share childcare responsibilities.
• A large common house that provides a shared space for group activities and kitchen/dining facilities for shared meals will be central to achieving the vision.
• A participatory design process that engages and seeds community spirit - facilitated community design process of site, common facilities and private homes

Our target time frame for the project is to:

1. Establish the Collective in mid 2021
2. Acquire a site in 2021
3. ~3.5 year development
4. Completion in 2024

Interested in becoming a member? 

To register your interest and support this citizen-led development, the first step is to complete our Expression of Interest survey. Click here to complete.

We will register everyone who completes the Expression of Interest survey for an upcoming information session.

A few pictures of the site are below.

Find out more

You can also review our FAQs to find out more general information on how these projects work.

For a little inspiration on what this project could be, check out our Victoria St Collective project at the Westwyck Eco-village in West Brunswick.