All about the Green Cottages

Hello all,

So it may take more than one post to get you updated with all that has been happening with the Green Cottages! A project a few years in the making, we recently took a huge step by having a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of our first Green Cottage home. Just what are the Green Cottages and how did they come about?? Well...

The Green Cottages started off as a unique collaborative of Cleveland non-profit organizations: the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, Cleveland Green Building Coalition and EcoCity Cleveland. The capacities of the different organizations allow the Green Cottages project to pursue sustainability in community development in multiple ways.

In addition to dealing with the frightening housing market, the Green Cottages project weathered numerous infrastructure changes. The Cleveland Green Building Coaltion experienced some staff changes and decided to wrap up its role i the project. Detroit Shoreway reorganized its housing department and, as a result, asked the Cuyahoga Community Land Trust to take on a more expansive role as the sole project developer. DSCDO continues its involvement with the project through the active participation of the EcoVillage coordinator. With support of funders, CCLT brought on The Project Alliance as a partner and hired Environmental Health Watch to assist with the green aspects of the project and to prepare the homeowners manuals.

The Green Cottages project emerged from the work of the Emerging Green Designers Symposium, a program of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, which allows designers and architects to explore green-building techniques. The 2005-2006 Symposium challenged itself to develop an affordable green home, and the Emerging Green Designers produced the basic designs for the Green Cottages collaboratively. Jim Ptacek, who was a member of the original Emerging Designers team, and who had continued to volunteer his time with the project, moved into an official capacity as his firm, Larsen Architects, and came on board to oversee contract administration and design elements. Civic Builders patiently continued to serve on the design team and remained committed to the project.

The Green Cottages also respond to the EcoVillage neighborhood plan, in which residents of the neighborhood emphasized the need for new environmentally sustainable single-family construction that will remain affordable to typical neighborhood families in the long-term. The Cleveland EcoVillage is a demonstration of eco-friendly living, emphasizing green-building, transit-oriented design, walkable streets, greenspace amenities, and community involvement. The Green Cottages will build on the success of recent EcoVillage developments, including the West 58th Street EcoVillage Townhomes, the West 65th Street Rapid Station renovation and the West 54th Street Greenbuilt Homes.

Whew! I think that covers the roots of the Green Cottages project. My next post will give you a photographed view of the Green Cottages construction phase, as well as details on what truly makes this housing development one-of-a-kind. But here's a hint:
The Green Cottages incorporate three key features - energy efficiency, affordability and accessibility- in addition to a LEED status that puts us ahead of the curve in affordable housing development in Northeast Ohio.

Talk with you soon,
Diana
http://www.cclandtrust.org/

*Creating opportunities for homeownership now, securing affordability for the future.*