‘A great way to live alone with other people’: A look at Edmonton’s only cohousing community

Nicole Weisberg looks at a different kind of infill option being embraced by some Edmontonians.

More than a year after a once-controversial infill development fully opened in Old Strathcona, residents of Urban Green Cohousing say they feel welcome in the neighbourhood.

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“So many people in the community were very happy to see something a little more lively come in here. People who are a little bit more intentional about the community and about taking care of the space,” said resident Della Dennis.

Dennis is one of the founders of Edmonton’s only equity housing co-op.

The group came together in 2012 and purchased four homes along 88 Avenue west of 101 Street near Saskatchewan Drive.

It rented out those homes as plans were being crafted for a new development.

“We began with a long wishlist of what we wanted in the building and ended up with a list three times as expensive as we could afford,” Dennis said.

“In fact, even when we pared it down, it ended up being more than we should have gone for. But we have the spaces that we really, really appreciate and use a lot.”

The original concept was six storeys but community concerns and zoning issues led to it being reduced to four.

Demolition occurred in 2019, with construction starting in 2020.

“We step down into the neighborhood. We wanted to ensure that the single family homes around us were not kind of in no-man’s-land because of this monster building next to them,” Dennis explained.

All four floors and the common areas opened in the latter half of 2023.

What makes Urban Green different

The 26-unit building is fossil fuel free and has other energy efficient features such as solar panels.

Each suite has a kitchen and bathroom, but there is also a common kitchen and common bathrooms, a large common area, kids room, book nook, party room, rooftop patio and guest room with an accessible washroom.

“What drew me to it is knowing your neighbours. It’s community. It’s the lower carbon footprint,” said resident Hermina Joldersma.

Joldersma moved to Urban Green after spending a decade living in Yellowknife.

“After the pandemic hit I thought, ‘I think I want to live closer to wherever it is I need to go, my son, etc.’ And I thought the environmental crisis is heating up and I would like to live closer to my bacon and my milk.”

She shares her vehicle with another building resident and regularly helps cook common meals, which typically happen once a week.

“It feels very much like home and I think that’s in part because you know the people. That’s super important to me.”

Cohousing popularity

Urban Green is currently full and there is a preliminary membership process to get on the waitlist.

Current residents also have the right of first refusal for any units that go up for sale.

“They can make an offer but I can choose whether or not to accept that offer,” said Dennis.

“Then, after it’s circulated through the community, the people who are on the waitlist get the second opportunity to buy it. And then if it doesn’t sell, we can go through a realtor as well.”

The Canadian Cohousing Network has two cohousing communities registered in Alberta and 24 established communities across Canada.