COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | JULY 1, 2021 | 9A
from A1
HOME
Th e Cottage Grove proj-
ect aims to serve area res-
idents with very low in-
comes (under 50 percent
area median income) who
are currently unable to ac-
cess aff ordable housing or
are at high risk of losing
their current housing. It
operates as a housing co-
operative run by the resi-
dents.
Th e village was devel-
oped by SquareOne Villag-
es in collaboration with the
Cottage Village Coalition
(CVC) — a local extension
and committee of Square-
One — with the goal of
bringing a permanent, af-
fordable tiny house coop-
erative to Cottage Grove.
Th e fi rst residents were
welcomed into the village
last September.
Mayor Jeff Gowing
praised the partnerships
built with the city during
the process.
“I’m really thankful that
this is here in our commu-
nity and all the hard work
that the people have put
into it to make this hap-
pen,” he said.
Speeches from residents
at the celebration were ef-
fusive about the life-chang-
ing impact the village has
had on them, bringing
dignity, opportunity and
agency to their lives.
Resident Aislinn Black-
stone expressed a deep
gratitude for everyone who
helped realize the village as
it rescued her from a point
where she felt she had lost
hope in fi nding stability.
“I wish that there was a
proper way that I could fi nd
to thank you guys because
you literally saved my life
with this project,” she said.
“And every day, I wake up
and I am inspired to do
something or I am inspired
by somebody around me.
Whether it’s the construc-
tion workers or whether
it’s my neighbors who have
become family.”
Lacking foundation and
a safe place makes every
other struggle in life hard-
er, she added.
Your home is only as smart as your Internet.
AT&T Internet
40
$
/mo.
when bundled,
plus taxes &
equip. fee.
12 mo agmt, other qualifying service (min
$19/mo) & combined bill req’d. $10/mo equip.
fee applies. Incl 1TB data/mo. $10 chrg for
each add’l 50GB (up to $100/mo). †
Cut cable internet
and switch to AT&T
Internet. Call now!
• Plans up to 100 Mbps. ‡
• Free Smart Home Manager App 1
with Parental Controls. 2
• The bandwidth to power multiple
devices at once.
Number of devices depends on screen size/resolution.
• Get a seamless whole-home Wi-Fi
experience with AT&T Smart Wi-Fi. 3
Limited availability. May not be available in your area.
Call to see if you qualify.
Iv Support Holdings LLC
888-486-0359
Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T Internet services. Not all speeds available in all areas. Call to see if you qualify.
$40 INTERNET OFFER: Price for Internet (768k - 100) for new residential customers when bundled with another qualifying AT&T service (DIRECTV, U-verse TV, AT&T TV or AT&T Phone or postpaid AT&T wireless). Prorated ETF ($180)
applies if Internet is disconnected before end of 12 months. Must maintain all bundled services to receive advertised pricing. Additional Fees & Taxes: Excludes cost-recovery charges, where applicable and $10/mo equipment fee.
Activ/Installation: $35 activation fee (self-install) or $99 installation (full tech install) may apply. Credit restrictions apply. Pricing subject to change. Subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. † Unlimited data
allowance may also be purchased separately for an add’l $30/mo., or maintain a bundle of TV & Internet on a combined bill and receive unlimited internet data at no add’l charge. For more info, go to att.com/internet-usage.‡ Internet speed
claims represent maximum network service capability speeds. Actual customer speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on several factors. For more information, go to att.com/speed101. 1 AT&T Smart Home Manager is available to
AT&T Internet service customers with a compatible AT&T Wi-Fi Gateway. Features limited to home Wi-Fi network. 2 Parental Controls and Data Usage features available with BGW210, 5268AC and NVG599 Wi-Fi Gateways. 3 AT&T Smart
Wi-Fi requires installation of a BGW210, 5268AC, or NVG599 Wi-Fi Gateway. Standard with Internet plans (12M or higher). Whole-home Wi-Fi connectivity may require AT&T Smart Wi-Fi Extender(s) sold separately. Offers may not be
combined with other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Other conditions apply to all offers. ©2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights
Reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.
“And so when you have
that place to go, you have
that safe place, and then
you have a community
around you that is sup-
porting you. Th is strength
that it gives you – the joy
that it gives you is so much
more than I could ever de-
scribe,” she said.
Th e conceptual seeds of
the $1.7 million project
were fi rst planted more
than four years ago when
a small group of Cottage
Grove community mem-
bers were discussing solu-
tions to the town’s chal-
lenges with homelessness.
“Th e story of this project
really is being in the right
place at the right time and
working in collaboration,”
said CVC Chair Bruce
Kelsh.
In a fortuitous part-
nership with SquareOne
Villages, the community
members then began the
years-long job of establish-
ing a housing cooperative
in town.
Cottage Village is a
leasehold co-op, meaning
the co-op members lease
the property from Square-
One.
Th e cooperative itself,
however, is owned and
operated by the members
who act as landlords and
have control over elements
such as pricing and vetting
applicants, essentially de-
mocratizing the tiny home
community.
Once accepted, a resi-
dent becomes part of the
co-op and signs an agree-
ment to abide by certain
standards such as partic-
ipation in monthly meet-
ings and volunteering a
minimum number of hours
per month to the “common
good” of the village.
Th e system allows the
tiny homes to range in rent
prices from $350 to $500.
Besides its aff ordability,
much of the village’s appeal
lies in providing agency
and authorship to the lives
of its residents.
“Th is community of
beautiful tiny homes is
evidence that dreams can
come true. And miracles
still happen,” said Kelsh.
New Models
for Housing
Cottage Grove’s 2018
Housing Needs Analysis
identifi ed a deep need for
more housing availability
at all income levels. Cre-
ating housing aff ordable
for lower income levels
has been a particular chal-
lenge, but Cottage Grove
– quite uniquely – has seen
several models spring up
in the last year.
Last August, nonprofi t
DevNW completed con-
struction on six new af-
fordable homes just off Ar-
thur Avenue.
Th e homes were devel-
oped as a community land
trust, which legally sep-
arates the land from the
houses, allowing DevNW
to retain stewardship over
the land. Home-buyers
thus acquire full owner-
ship of the home without
having to cover the cost of
the land, providing oppor-
tunities for more moder-
ate-income buyers.
As a permanent aff ord-
able housing model, it
aimed to create a long-
term habit of homeown-
EVERYONE
DESERVES
A GREAT
SMILE!
541-726-7689 541-942-9635
Eugene/Springfi eld Cottage Grove
ership within the commu-
nity.
Th e two-story cottag-
es feature both two- and
three-bedroom versions
targeting families earning
below 80 percent of the
area median income.
Th is put a cap on eligi-
bility, meaning a family
of two was limited to an
annual income of $41,550
and a family of fi ve limited
to $56,100.
Average mortgage pay-
ments end up being $1,050
a month for the three-bed-
room homes and $950 for
the two-bedroom.
Th en last December, Le-
gion Cottages, a Homes for
Good project, welcomed
its fi rst residents to a four-
unit tiny home village be-
hind the American Legion.
Th e project, which part-
nered with American Le-
gion and the University of
Oregon’s School of Archi-
tecture Oregon BILDS pro-
gram, approved four veter-
ans for residency, lift ing
them out of homelessness.
It was arranged that
VASH (Veterans Aff airs
Supportive
Housing)
vouchers could pair with
Section 8 housing assis-
tance to set individuals’
rent costs based on in-
come.
Th ough rent prices at
Legion Cottages were es-
timated to be around $654
a month at the ribbon cut-
ting, occupants would only
pay 30 percent of their
income, the rest covered
through the voucher pro-
gram.
At Tuesday’s Cottage
Village open house, Bryant
spoke of plans to expand
into other communities
such as Albany and Rose-
burg. Th ough there was no
mention of future Square-
One projects in Cottage
Grove, the momentum
created by such projects
may serve to launch future
housing endeavors.
Kelsh said he was inter-
ested to see what could be
done about transitional
short-term housing and
unhoused youth in the
area.
“But the care that has to
be done has to be pretty so-
phisticated.,” he said.
Resources such as the
nonprofi t Looking Glass
and South Lane School
District’s McKinney-Ven-
to program which focus
on the needs of unhoused
youth could be inroads to
new solutions, he suggest-
ed.
With the Cottage Village
co-op eff ectively able to
bootstrap itself from here,
Kelsh said the CVC will
likely dissolve later this
year and new opportuni-
ties may arise.
As with any eff ort of this
magnitude, though, a good
deal of community support
is integral to its success.
Th e Cottage Village
project was completed
with the help of monetary,
labor and material dona-
tions from a large collec-
tion of groups and entities
including Lane County,
the Meyer Memorial Trust,
Presbyterian Women’s As-
sociation, the King Fami-
ly, Edwards Mother Earth
Foundation and the City of
Cottage Grove.
“It truly does take a
community to build a vil-
lage and we are fortunate
to have such a community
to help us build this one,”
said Bryant.
Speak your peace.
Write a Letter to the Editor.
Editor@CGSentinel.com
Blazing Fast
Internet!
CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR INITIAL CONSULTATION • 541.686.1732
ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY
EUGENE
CRESWELL
622 E. 22nd Ave Suite C
195 Melton Rd.
541.686.1732
541.686.1732
or visit us at www.thornton-ortho.com
19 . 99
$
/mo.
where available
2-YEAR TV PRICE GUARANTEE
64
$
SPRING
Tune-Up
99
MO.
America’s Top 120 Package
190 CHANNELS
Including Local Channels!
CALL TODAY - For $100 Gift Card Promo Code: DISH100
for 12 Mos.
1-866-373-9175
Offer ends 7/14/21.
All offers require credit qualification, 24-month commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper,
Hopper w/Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification.
O
nly
$
1445 N Gateway Blvd
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
Contact our New Patient Coordinator at
541.640.7625
We’ll make sure your system is
running eff ectively and effi ciently.
Call for details and an appointment today,
and beat the spring rush!
129*
Complete Heating & Cooling System Service
Reasonable Rates • All Work Guaranteed
NovaHealthPrimaryCare.com
Cottage Grove Sentinel Introduces...
Basket
GUARANTEED The Flower
and Gift Boutique
We know how much work you put into preparing for a garage sale.
Then it rains! We want to help you with our new...
Garage Sales Insurance Package!
If bad weather aff ects your Garage Sale call us within 7 days and
we will re-run your ad in our paper 1x and online 5x more
Guranteed Garage Sale Package Includes:
15 Words in 8 ads
✔ 1 in paper and 7 online
✔ 2 Signs & Tip Sheet
✔ Only $15
✔
Normal price is $12 with 2 signs, insurance is only $3 for a complete additional 8 ad run!
Cottage Grove Classifi ed MARKETPLACE
“A Flower Shop and so much more”
Floral Arrangements
Boutique Clothing
Accessories
Jewelry
Balloons
Home Décor
Fine Gifts
“Your 1 stop place to buy & sell merchandise in the region”
In Print & Online
Call Today
541.942.3325
cgsentinel.com
S entinel
C ottage G rove
“B UILDING A H EALTHY C OMMUNITY ”
Y OUR L OCAL P ROVIDER OF
H OME M EDICAL E QUIPMENT !
Sales & Rentals, Insurance Billing, CPAP/BIPAP,
Home Oxygen, Mobility, Walk Aids, Bath Aides,
Power Chairs, Power Scooters,
Aids to Daily Living.
Friendly & Knowledgeable Staff
Your Partners in Wellness
GARAGE SALES
GROVE MEDICAL
EQUIPMENT
Deliveries Locally and Worldwide
Locally owned and operated since 1984
Quality and Satisfaction Guaranteed
119 South 6th Street • 541-942-0505
www.cottagegroveflowerbasket.com
148
1 Gateway Blvd (Bi Mart Plaza)
14
za)
Cottage
C
o
Grove, OR 97424
4
541-225-5443
43
4
3
grovemedical@outlook.com
Join us on Facebook
WE HAVE THE TOP QUALITY BRANDS
YOU WANT!
EVERYTHING FOR YOUR
OUTDOOR NEEDS!