South Main co-housing project welcomes residents in search of community
With the snip of a pair of large, shiny scissors, four-year-old Leo cut the ribbon to officially open Our Urban Village, the co-housing project where he lives with his parents.
"We are very social and we also like the idea of getting to know our neighbours and doing activities with them. And also getting Leo involved with other kids,” said Gabriela Martinez, Leo’s mom.
Owners first began moving into the complex on Main Street near East 41st Avenue in mid-summer, but many of them have been involved with the project since the initial planning stages.
“I joined in July of 2019,” said Cathy Sevcik, who owns a unit in the building. “What I really wanted was to be living with people who I knew, felt supported by and had connections with.”
The developer took two standard single-family lots and demolished the existing homes to build the 12-unit complex.
The ownership structure is very similar to a typical strata corporation – but the building is designed for people seeking a much greater sense of community.
Since moving in, residents have been getting together twice a week to share meals in the communal kitchen.
And the building is designed with exterior walkways, large landings, and a courtyard, creating spaces for people to gather.
"The remarkable thing about this project is that the architect, the developers, and the future residents all came together to build a place that uses space more efficiently but also was designed to nurture social relationships,” said Charles Montgomery, principal of Happy Cities, an urban planning design, research and consulting firm.
While not the first co-housing project in Vancouver, Our Urban Village is an experiment of sorts – because Happy Cities will study the residents for the next two years.
"(We're looking at) how they connect, where they connect, how they feel about each other and their levels of trust for one another,” said Montgomery.
To encourage a diverse range of owners, the building has a mix of units from small studios to three-bedroom townhomes.
Each individual unit is equipped with all the cooking and living amenities one would expect in a modern condo, so residents don’t have to be social all the time.
"I had hoped that I would feel really nestled in a great community and I really like my unit, I really like the building, and I really like how neighbourly it feels,” said Sevcik.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.