Local Luminaries

Ellen Sribnick & Linda Gluck

by Diane Pineiro-Zucker and photographs by Amber S. Clark, May 26, 2009

For Ellen Sribnick, Linda Gluck, their families, and the other founding members, Legacy Farm Cohousing is already home even though after five years of intense, cooperative planning, barely a twig has been disturbed on its 56 acres of rolling meadows, ponds, and woods. The Rosendale property holds the promise of a 37-unit, clustered, multigenerational, cooperative community. No pesticides have been used on the farm for 83 years and the new owners hope to continue the trend by employing green construction technologies, including geothermal heating, cooling, and hot water powered by photovoltaic cells.

Units at Legacy Farm will range from 800 to 1,650 square feet and housing costs are expected to range from around $250,000 to under $400,000 per unit. In its business plan, Legacy Farm is described as a “cooperative intergenerational” neighborhood.

The cohousing concept isn’t new. Cohousing—a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods—originated in Denmark in the late 1960s at Sættedammen, the oldest known community of its kind. Cohousing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The 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.

There are an estimated 113 cohousing communities in the United States today (the Cantine’s Island cohousing community in Saugerties is 12 years old), and approximately 100 in development. Hundreds of others exist around the world. For more information, go to www.legacyfarmcohousing.com.

What is the cohousing concept and why does it appeal to you?
Sribnick: Cohousing is more of a grassroots development model than a typical housing project. We’re participants in a cooperative decision process and, though this may take longer, the benefit is that by the time people are living in community, they have created the foundation for living together. We value the importance of green and sustainable living and design and the balance of privacy and community, where each household has independence and yet is encouraged to participate in community meals and events. The common house is the epicenter of activity within the cohousing model.
Gluck: Cohousing gives me a deep sense of belonging, of community, and of the satisfaction of living my values, and of being part of the solution. That means living simply and sustainably, close to the land, and it means learning to live cooperatively with people who know, accept, and support me.