Architect and author Charles Durrett will give a presentation on eco-conscious “cohousing” in Port Townsend on March 22 at the Quimper Grange.
The presentation, which will begin at 3 p.m., will also serve as the kick-off meeting for “Newt Crossing Community,” a new cohousing community forming 3 miles outside Port Townsend.
Ever since Port Townsend residents Eva Holm and Jonathan Boughton bought their wooded 17 acres in the late 1990s, they have dreamt of transforming the land into a cohousing community similar to the ones that exist in Port Townsend already, such as the Quimper Village, Rosewind and Port Townsend Ecovillage.
In August 2019, Holm and Boughton contracted with Durrett of McCamant and Durrett Architects to do a feasibility study of the property.
Durrett and Kathryn McCamant coined the term “cohousing” for a concept they learned about while spending time studying architecture in Denmark. Since then, McCamant (who is now CoHousing Solutions) and Durrett have worked with groups to create high-functioning neighborhoods in the United States and Canada, designing more than 50 cohousing communities.
Holm and Boughton hope to share their ideas with community members who might be interested in learning more about Newt Crossing. Working with Durrett Architects, they hope Newt Crossing will add to the number of eco-conscious functional neighborhoods in the Port Townsend area where members can share meals, gardening, childcare, elder care, car pooling and more.
Durrett will also hold a book signing at 5 p.m. on March 21 at the Quimper Village Common House.
