Dave Dyer

Staff Writer

An area cohousing project ready to break ground must first wait for the financial backing of future community members. 

Final construction plans have been prepared for “Greensward Hamlet,” a community of energy sustainable, multi-family homes expected to be built on 30 acres of land on Marshall Lane in Buxton. However, officials need to first secure residents before they progress further – and in an attempt to do so have planned a number of informational sessions, including one this Sunday in Biddeford. 

Francois Paradis, who is spearheading the Greensward Hamlet plans, said the community will feature five multi-family buildings, with four condominiums per building offering one, two or three bedroom housing. The buildings will be clustered together, with a parking garage on the outer level of the facility, leaving open space around the homes to promote community living, as well as reduce traffic within the facility. She said the clustering of homes will also help with the sharing of infrastructure, such as wells, septic systems, cable television and Internet connections.

Paradis said the community design follows the guidelines of the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, making it the first such community of its kind in the state.

Architect Phil Kaplan, of Thompson-Kaplan Architects in Portland, said the buildings will be constructed with insulated concrete forms, or blocks of foam with a concrete core. He said it is designed to keep insulation tight, enabling warm air to stay within the condominium. Triple pane windows will also be installed in the buildings to access passive solar heat and light, reducing the cost of heating and lighting within the building, he said.

Each condo will have a kitchen, washer and dryer and a bathroom, featuring shower heads using an aerator to reduce the amount of water flow, as well as a dual flush toilet, which will use varied amounts of water based on waste disposal. 

All buildings in the community will be handicap accessible, Paradis said.

Paradis said a common house will be built in the middle of the facility, featuring a large kitchen for community meals, a game room for adults, a playroom for children, a meditation room, three home offices and an exercise room. Wind turbines and photovoltaic solar collectors will generate electricity for the entire development, she said. 

By living in the co-housing community, residents would engage in a participatory process and all future designs of the facility would have to be made by a consensus decision by the residents.

Residents are expected to carpool to work, shopping trips, errands and weekly trips to the town recycling center.

Paradis said even though the community is a shared living area, it does not classify as a “commune,” because it does not have a shared economy. Residents will have their own jobs and make their own living. She said communes usually also house residents with the same religious beliefs, which Greensward Hamlet will not.

The Buxton Planning Board approved Greensward Hamlet last June and Paradis said building plans and permits with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection are in place, but she has not yet received financing from the bank because there have not been enough condominiums sold. She said currently two people have committed to living in the community.

“The bank wants us to have 100 percent equity,” Paradis said, meaning she needs to either have enough money to cover the cost of the project, or sell all 20 of the condominiums.

Paradis said if she can sell four more condominiums then she would be allowed to have one of the buildings constructed.

The condos cost $280,000, with monthly fees of about $185. Paradis said she has contacted about 40 to 50 people who are interested in joining the community and they range in age from 40s to 60s.

“I still think young people still have that American dream of living on their own,” Paradis said. “Those of us who have done that know it’s not sustainable.”

Paradis said she has contacted other cohousing communities across the country who have pressed similar stories – plenty of interest, but no set plans to live in the community because of the economy.

Buxton resident and abutting landowner Barbara Elwell said she is not supportive of the building of the facility, as the land it is being built on was an open area place for wildlife, such as moose, bears and fishers. She said while the idea of the community “sounds good,” the area does not seem to be a good fit.

Paradis said she has not received strong opposition to the facility and said neighbors on Marshall Lane will have a “nicer” road because of the facility, as well as a buffer zone between the community and other neighboring homes.

Paradis plans to host a series of Power Point presentations to garner interest in the cohousing community. 

Her next presentation of the Greensward Hamlet facility will be from 10 a.m. to noon, this Sunday, Feb. 22 at McArthur Library in Biddeford. For more information on the free presentation, contact Debra Holloway, director of marketing, at 929-6776.