See the Work
ElderGrace Senior Co-Housing
Live Interdependently within a Close-knit Elder Community
“Spencer has assisted us with difficult decisions selecting home sites and designing this Senior Co-Housing Pilot Project, in addition to her varied duties with the Santa Fe Community Housing Trust. She is always open to ideas from the members and has worked hard to provide any support that would coincide with and the overall quality of design and green building. When the group has gotten off track, she has shown great leadership by exploring with us what the realistic possibilities might be.”
— Barbara Lolordo, ElderGrace, Elder Co-housing Member
ElderGrace is an innovative, senior co-housing project inspired by a lo cal elder advocacy group in Santa Fe, NM. This co-housing community will occupy a 3.5 acre site located off Cerrillos Road on the south side of the City of Santa Fe.
Co-housing is a relatively new approach to senior housing: a community design process that empowers future residents to contribute to the designs of their neighborhood. The members of this “conscious aging community” have dedicated themselves to mutual support, respect for the environment, and service to others. The tight-knit nature of the community allows people to downsize the amount of material goods needed because of shared resources between households. Shared activities include group meals three times a week in which all members of the neighborhood contribute.
The project features 14 duplexes, a total of 28 units ranging in size from 850-1100 square foot. The project also features a 2200 square foot “common house”, which includes a community kitchen, dining and living room along with a guest bedroom and bath, laundry facilities and an administrative office. Members of the ElderGrace group have consciously decided to have smaller individual units in favor of having a large shared space for entertaining and community functions.
ElderGrace has integrated passive solar orientation, radiant heat, cellulose insulation, low-E windows, cross-ventilation, Energy Star appliances and cooling systems, low-voc paints, healthy building materials, low-flow water saving features, grey water systems and rainwater harvesting. Features to foster a sustainable community include a compact, infill site-plan, walkability and connections to nearby trail infrastructure, access to public transportation, and universal design principles.
Project Summary
- Location:
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Program Scope
- 9 affordable home ownership units
- 19 market rate home ownership units
- Common courtyard/terrace (2,000 sq ft)
- Community learning center (2,500 sq ft)
- Project Status
- On-the-boards (January 2008 anticipated completion)
- Location:
- Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Project Scope
- 3.25 acres gross site area
- New construction
- 30,000 sq ft gross project area
- Program Scope
- 9 affordable home ownership units
- 19 market rate home ownership units
- Common courtyard/terrace (2,000 sq ft)
- Community learning center (2,500 sq ft)
- Residential Unit Profile
Affordable units serve very low income households. Market rate units have no income restriction.
10 1 BR 800-850 sq ft 18 2 BR 900-1,100 sq ft 28 TOTAL - Cost
300,000 Acquisition (land) 3,175,000 Hard (construction) 1,292,700 Soft (all other) 4,767,700 TOTAL - Major Funders
- Enterprise Community Partners
- Green Communities
- Santa Fe Community Housing Trust
- State of New Mexico
- Project Status
- On-the-boards (January 2008 anticipated completion)
