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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2018)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL FEBRUARY 7, 2018 3A Cottage Village is running its own race The project continues to fundraise in the face of a Summer 2018 deadline will cost to fund raise, the group is now looking at a $1 million project. To help ease the burden of coming up with money to earn money, CVC has acquired a $5,000 grant from Banner Bank. “We got money to help make money,” Kelsh said. “We’re looking at some events in the spring.” In the meantime, CVC has a lot of lines in the water. Several grants have been sub- mitted and the group is current- ly hoping to take advantage of an affordable housing grant is- sued by the state of Oregon. Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing—or LIFT—is funded by $40 million from a general obligation committed by the state legislature in 2015 and aims to build new, afford- able housing for low-income residents. As part of the application process, the property on E. Madison had to undergo an in- spection that included insuring that the location was in close proximity to public transporta- tion, schools, grocery stores and other essentials. CVC has also applied for a grant from Cycle Oregon that would furnish the village with cargo bicycles. According to Kelsh, the bikes could be used as advertising for the village as well as transpor- tation for the residents who live there. While CVC has applied for grants, it is also beginning to reach out to the community. “The next step is to start ask- ing for materials,” Kelsh said, noting that the group will be compiling information on the project to bring to local lumber mills. “We’re different,” Kelsh said. He explained that in Eugene, the resources were more abun- dant and fundraising, a bit eas- ier. “They had architects and then, of course, the architects found the material and so on.” Rural development, howev- er, is proving trickier and Kelsh said now that Emerald Village is complete, SquareOne will have more attention to devote to helping navigate the process; in- cluding submitting permits and a plan to the city. “They’re helping us on the timing with that,” Kelsh said. Under the terms of the Meyer Memorial Trust grant, construc- tion of Cottage Village must be completed by the summer of 2018 though according to CVC, extensions maybe available. To donate to the project, visit www.squareonevillages.org/cvc and click on the “donate” link. PHOTO COURTESY COTTAGE VILLAGE COALITION The Arbor South model, shown above in Eugene's Opportunity Village, has been selected as one of the models for Cottage Village located on E. Madison in Cottage Grove. By Caitlyn May cmay@cgsentinel.com T he pace, so far, is best described as slow and steady according to Cottage Village Coalition (CVC) Chairman Bruce Kelsh. CVC partnered with Eu- gene-based non-profi t Square- One to build a village of 13 tiny homes as a transitional housing option for low-income residents. Just over a year lat- er, there are no shovels in the ground or walls going up. How- ever, Kelsh said the money is starting to trickle in and plans are still moving forward. “It’s slower,” he said. “It’s one of the lessons we’ve learned in rural development is that it’s slower.” Cottage Village, lo- cated on E. Madison Ave. is expected to mirror Emerald Village in Eugene, also piloted by SquareOne. Houses, approx- imately 200 to 300 square feet would be rented by individuals who are approved by a com- mittee and agree to community standards, paying a few hundred dollars per month. But before anyone moves in, there has to be houses. CVC has settled on at least one design, which is currently in use in Eugene. The Arbor South is the biggest model that would be included in Cottage Village at a little over 250 square feet and account for at least fi ve of the community’s dwellings once infrastructure projects are completed. “It’s a hard thing to fund raise for, a sewer system,” Kelsh said. He noted that he expected that once a house was constructed, it would be easier for residents and donors-to-be to visualize the project. CVC has collected approxi- mately $300,000—in the form of two grants, one from Meyer Memorial and the other from a Presbyterian Church group-- for the project that started with an estimate of $800,000. Howev- er, after adding in the money it PHOTO COURTESY SQUAREONE A rendering shows the layout of Cottage Village, scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2018. Cottage Village Coalition, the local group partnering with Eugene-based non-profi t SquareOne, is working on raising funds.
