In preparing for my first ever trip to Saskatoon, to attend the Abbeyfield Canada* 40th Anniversary Forum, I contacted two completed cohousing communities there: Radiance Cohousing, and Wolf Willow. I received a warm invitation to meet with folks from Radiance, but the timing worked better for me to join in some community events at Wolf Willow, where I was also kindly offered a guest room while I was in in town.
Both communities are urban and centrally located. Radiance is a small and lovely townhouse community, with 8 units and a common house, built to Passivhaus standards. www.radiancecohousing.ca
Wolf Willow Cohousing is a 21-unit apartment building structured as a legal condo. It was originally intended as a seniors’ building and some of the original members still live there. However, in the community’s first ten years, eight residents died. Today it also welcomes younger people, although there are no children living there at present. The current residents range in age from 30-something to over 80.
Some design features that I loved about Wolf Willow:
First, the whole building is esthetically pleasing, with high ceilings and wide corridors. There’s a sense of spaciousness and beautiful art on display everywhere.
The generous lobby includes a cabinet for storing outer footwear. Upon arriving, residents and guests remove their shoes or boots and place them in a lovely purpose-built cabinet. That way, common spaces and corridors stay clean longer.
The vast kitchen and common dining area (also the community meeting room) are so well designed. There are three separate kitchen work/prep stations, each with a sink. Two large prep areas are in the main kitchen and there’s a separate bar area, so there’s no need to disrupt work in the main kitchen if a small group is meeting for coffee or a drink. The design means that prep and clean up before and after group meals can be done easily and quickly, without people getting in one another’s way.
One of the best decisions the community made, I was told, was to buy a commercial dishwasher. It’s expensive but it vastly speeds up clean up after a group meal. There’s no need to go back down to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher late in the evening. They can tidy up after a group meal and have clean dishes put away again in under 15 minutes.
A Challenge
Like many cohousing communities, Wolf Willow structured itself initially as a condo, in order to secure construction financing. Lenders like to work with models they are familiar with. Wolf Willow has remained a legal condo, which means the residents cannot block the sale of any unit. Most often, units change hands privately and the buyer is someone who is already aligned with cohousing values. However, there have been situations when real estate agents did not disclose the cohousing model. Since then, the group has tried to educate the real estate community, so that prospective buyers realize they are moving into a co-operative living structure.
Unlike another cohousing community I visited, there is no requirement here for residents to put in a minimum number of hours toward common space upkeep. While some people contribute more than others, the system seems to work well.
I was fortunate to stay in their lovely guest suite, which consists of a large bedroom suited to families, and a smaller bedroom for a single or couple. There is an adjoining full bathroom.
The guest suite is adjacent to the laundry room, making changing of guest bed linens very easy. Next to the laundry room is the common kitchen, which I was invited to use to make my breakfast each morning.
I joined two of their regular social events, where I met several residents, including some of the first occupants, who were able to tell me about the history of the project. For more about their history, see their website (link below).
Wolf Willow is such a beautiful cohousing community. It won an architectural award, no doubt for the spectacular views from the balconies, which face all directions. Each unit has its own, and there is also a large upper-level patio and a lovely main floor garden with a pond. If I had any reason to live in Saskatoon, I’d love to live at Wolf Willow. If you have any reason to live there, there are two gorgeous units for sale at present! www.wolfwillowcohousing.ca
Lesley Donald
*If you don’t know about Abbeyfield Canada, check it out. They are a registered charity and one of the few not-for-profit retirement home providers in the country. www.abbeyfield.ca