I was in Boulder, Colorado this past Thursday through Sunday enjoying some fabulous road biking in the mountains with five Northfield biking buddies from the Northfield Bicycle Club. We were hosted by Northfielder Mike Scheuerman, who is in the process of selling a townhome in the Nyland Cohousing community some six miles east of Boulder.
While Mike invited us for a long weekend of hard-core biking (and fine cuisine and Colorado microbrews), he seemed to have an ulterior motive, as well: he exposed me and the rest of the gang to some of the progressive development trends in the Boulder area.
Nyland was one of the first cohousing developments in the U.S., with planning beginning in 1988 and homeowners moving in beginning in 1992. I wasn’t familiar with the cohousing concept before Mike told me about Nyland. A description of cohousing (from the Cohousing Association of the US) is that “cohousing communities combine the advantages of private homes with the benefits of more sustainable living, including shared common facilities and ongoing connections with neighbors. These intentional neighborhoods, created and managed by residents, offer an innovative solution to today’s environmental and social challenges.” I was thoroughly taken with Nyland, where single-family homes and townhomes are clustered, and accessible only by foot path from compact parking areas. The 42-unit development has large shared green spaces; shared garden space and a large greenhouse and woodworking shop, and a spacious common building that is used for shared meals when community members so desire, can be reserved for large gatherings, and has meeting and play spaces for kids and adults.
Boulder itself is modeling various progressive approaches to development, such as:
- Extensive bike and pedestrian infrastructure that encourages recreational and utilitarian biking and walking
- A pedestrian mall on Pearl Street in the heart of downtown that throbs with vitality
- Mixed use redevelopment, including some cohousing similar to Nyland
- Major commitment to green space preservation and access for residents in all parts of the community
- Aggressive commitment to combating global warming locally through its Climate Action Plan
- The nation’s first municipal carbon tax, which funds its Climate Action Plan.
I think a road trip to Boulder would be an excellent idea for the Northfield Planning Commission as it seeks input during the revision and update of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations. I’ve talked several times with Boulder city staff about their innovative approach to funding their Climate Action Plan via carbon tax. I’d be available to assist with planning and serve as tour host and guide either before or after the next public input meeting on May 15th.Whaddya say, Ross?