C Street Co-op
A scalable model for developing resident-owned, infill housing on typical residential lots, permanently affordable to people with low-incomes.
Location: 1075 C St, Springfield, Oregon
Type: Limited Equity Co-op
Size: 6 one-bedroom suites on 0.1 acres
Status: Open since 2021
Carrying Charge: $825/month
Permanently Affordable for: 80% area median income or under
As we face our nation’s housing crisis, cities are struggling to accommodate a growing population in neighborhoods zoned exclusively for low-density, single-family housing—which comprises roughly two-thirds of the existing housing stock here in Oregon.
The Revillaging Project reimagines our neighborhoods as vibrant communities capable of supporting a diversity of housing types, affordable to a broader mix of people.
This collaboration between Cultivate and SquareOne Villages puts forth a scalable model for compact, resident-owned, infill housing on typical residential lots, permanently affordable to people with low-incomes.
This vision is supported by historic legsliation: Oregon recently became the first state to ban single-family zoning, requiring cities to allow for duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, cottage clusters, and townhouses on any lots that allow for deatached single-family housing. To build on this momentum, Cultivate and SquareOne have teamed up to develop a pilot project in Springfield, known as the C Street Co-op.
The C Street Co-op opened in September 2021, and became the first housing in Oregon to combine a limited equity co-op with a community land trust, providing new permanently affordable homeownership opportunities to six low-income households. The residents collectively own the housing as part of the limited-equity co-op, and SquareOne retains ownership of the land. This helps assure affordability for generations to come, while providing control and stability to the residents.
The development cost were around $100,000 per one-bedroom suite including just $20,000 in subsidy, which is radically more cost-effective than traditional low-income rental housing. We look forward to replicating this pilot project as the new zoning changes mentioned above will soon allow this type of development on most residential lots in many Oregon cities like Eugene and Springfield.
Featured Article on C Street Co-op from AIA Oregon:
