What is Bay State Cohousing?
We are residents of Greater Boston and beyond who gathered together as a cohousing community. Working as our own developer, we hired architects French/2D and Neshamkin French to design a three-story building with 30 studio-to-three bedroom units near the center of Malden at 368 Pleasant Street.
Many of us didn’t know each other initially, but we built relationships as we worked together through the design & development process, construction, and move-in.
Dressed up for a community dinner on Elvis’ birthday.
As families, couples, and singles, we represent four generations. We have a wide variety of interests, which include cooking, gardening, making music, and spending time together. Some of us work, some are in school, and some are retired.
We value neighborliness, good communication, and thoughtfulness. It is important to us to have the support of our neighbors when the need arises and to have the opportunity to age in place. We are becoming part of the greater Malden community.
In addition to private units, our property has 5,000 square feet of expanded common spaces, including meeting rooms, coworking space, entertainment room, woodshop, fitness room, kids’ playroom, arts room, music room, social room/pub, great room and large common kitchen and dining area for occasional shared meals. There are outdoor decks on each floor and a courtyard with green space for gardening and other outdoor activities.
What is cohousing?
Cohousing is a method of designing new neighborhoods that began in Scandinavia in the 1970s. There are now about 175 communities in the United States and another 100 under construction. We are organized as a condominium with private living spaces and multiple common spaces designed to encourage interaction. Like other cohousing communities, we have expanded common spaces to include shared music and art rooms, children’s indoor and outdoor play areas, a workshop and exercise room, and a great room: a community gathering place for meetings, social events, and hanging out; it also includes a large kitchen so we can cook and eat together for occasional brunches, pot lucks, and dinners.
To learn more about cohousing see our FAQ and this infographic.