Borland Green Ecovillage: a grand plan for co-housing in East Liberty
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Emily and Sten Carlson on Thursday work on refurbishing the rowhouse they have purchased on Black Street in East Liberty.
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Seven brown-brick rowhouses on Black Street behind Peabody High School had been in the process of falling apart when East Liberty Development Inc. bought them out of foreclosure last year.
Since then, the agency has assembled eight more residences on the blocks within Borland, Black and Beatty streets as part of a bigger plan.
"Our goal is to help Borland Green reach their vision," said Kendall Pelling, ELDI's real estate project manager.
The Borland Green Ecovillage is a co-housing group of 10 households, most of which have dibs on properties in the row or nearby. A co-housing community is an assembly of residents who share a lifestyle vision.
The community started ahead of renovations by establishing a garden on a large tract that was remediated by three years of sunflower and canola planted by the non-profit GTECH. The 18,000-square-foot garden lot will be developed to include an orchard and other edible plants. East Liberty Development still owns that land and is working with the city to get title for two more parcels.
Maureen Copeland, GTECH's community programs manager, bought and moved into the most habitable unit in May. Pat Buddemeyer, an original instigator of Pittsburgh's co-housing movement, expects work to be done on her unit for a move from nearby Rippey Street in October.
Sten and Emily Carlson live in North Point Breeze as they renovate and restore the unit they recently bought.
For years, Ms. Buddemeyer and Maria Piantanida had been among a dozen people throughout the metropolitan area who have shared potluck dinners trying to stick together while looking for a place that was suitable or had potential to accommodate them. The group split into those who wanted to build new and this group that wanted to be in the city and reuse existing housing.
First Published August 15, 2011 12:00 am
