Mission Peak Village creates new Bay Area housing and intergenerational connections
Homebuyers in 2023 are questioning whether conventional neighborhoods work well for them. Many are now more acutely sensitive to isolation from neighbors — the possibility of living among people you rarely see or interact with. It’s hard to know if a prospective community will be friendly.
Members of Mission Peak Village believe finding a home should be more than a real estate transaction; it is a lifestyle choice. Residents are their own developers with an active role in building homes on a site that meets their own rigorous criteria. Mission Peak Village hired an experienced development consultant, bought land and selected an architect. By move-in time, they will already be a connected community of intergenerational neighbors.
Mission Peak Village didn’t invent this approach. The group adopted an intentional community model called cohousing, introduced to North America in 1988 by architects Kathryn McCamant and Chuck Durrett with their seminal book “Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves,” based upon an innovative model popularized in Denmark.
The authors observed that cohousers in Denmark were happier and better connected to their neighbors than most Americans in tracts of compartmentalized single-family units. In cohousing, each household maintains a personal residence, but the neighbors also share amenities to reduce the daily cost of living and create opportunities for human interaction.
Today, North America can claim more than 180 cohousing communities. Inspired by their predecessors, Mission Peak Village is establishing Fremont’s first cohousing development of 32 condominiums clustered around a sizable common house (community center). Designed for daily use, the common house will feature a large kitchen and dining area suitable
for occasional shared meals and parties, as well as a craft area, coffee bar, laundry, media room, library, guest quarters and quiet space for studying or working from home. The members value environmentally sustainable design. The community will be owned and managed by residents, who will divide up responsibilities such as child care and gardening.
The land site ticks off many priority items for future residents: excellent school district, proximity to employment centers, walkability, available public transportation, readily accessible parks, retail services and entertainment. Two bonus features of Mission Peak Village’s neighborhood are a weekly farmers market and a soon-tobe built BART station within a half-mile.
With the creative expertise of Gunkel Architecture and development consultation from cohousing pioneer Kathryn McCamant, Mission Peak Village has submitted plans to the city of Fremont for design review. The group has formed a development partnership with UD+P, experienced developers of cohousing communities, and expects to break ground in early 2024. Homes are still available to reserve. More information is available during online information sessions and neighborhood walking tours. Registration and more information are available on the Mission Peak Village website.