The new Peace Village Co-op provides a path to home ownership in Eugene

Chromatic red, green, blue, yellow and white buildings have cropped up on the corner of River Road and Ferndale Drive in Eugene as the newest development from SquareOne Villages comes to fruition.

Supporters, partners and benefactors of SquareOne gathered at the new Peace Village location at 3060 River Road Thursday for the open house hosted to celebrate the completion of SquareOne’s newest affordable housing cooperative.

What is Peace Village?

The newly constructed Peace Village Co-Op is planned to provide 70 units of permanently affordable and resident-owned housing specifically for households that make less than 60% of the median area income. The project was made possible by nearly $6.1 million of funding from state, city and county grants and $1.6 million in charitable contributions.

In addition to the 70 housing units, on-site amenities shared will include a community kitchen and dining area shared by the church, a large meeting space as well as other flexible use spaces, outdoor common areas for gardening and other co-op-approved uses, laundry facilities, bike storage and shared tools and resources.

According to Project Manager Andrew Heben, this is SquareOne Villages’ fourth and largest housing co-op and the largest housing co-op in Oregon.

“This is by far our biggest and most ambitious development to date,” Heben said of the project.

SquareOne Villages purchased the 3.6-acre site from Peace Presbyterian Church in January 2022. The church will be able to continue use of some of the existing property buildings such as the sanctuary and community kitchen spaces but is not affiliated directly with the co-op or SquareOne Villages.

What’s a housing co-op and how does it work?

Cooperative housing models work to share responsibilities and costs usually handled by landowners or property managers.

The development operates on a cooperative housing agreement where residents purchase a membership for $5,000 and are expected to co-govern the complex with responsibilities such as adopting budgets, making decisions democratically, overseeing repairs, setting policies and resolving conflicts.

For those who cannot afford the upfront membership cost, SquareOne’s Revolving Loan Fund may have the capacity to provide a loan of up to $4,000 to cover the initial membership fee. Additional costs for residents will include carrying charges ranging from $450 to $750 a month for each household depending on the unit type. These charges cover the costs for all utilities, mortgage payments, replacement reserves and operating costs.

While residents will co-own the buildings, SquareOne will own the land in order to maintain affordability in perpetuity. The co-op holds a single mortgage to which all members contribute.

Because it is a limited equity co-op, if a member wishes to sell their share, the price of the sale is limited to a 3% interest rate plus the value of any improvements made to the unit being sold.

Open House reactions

Despite the rain, a crowd of attendees gathered under a white tarp at the Peace Village Open House event to hear speeches presented by a roster of supporters, proponents and facilitators who made this project possible.

Partners who helped complete the Peace Village project include architects at Cultivate Inc., civil engineers at KPFF, The Satre Group for land use and landscaping plans, and Dorman Construction acting as general contractors.

One vocal supporter of Peace Village is Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis, who spoke of her gratitude toward the team at SquareOne Villages, Peace Presbyterian Church, state delegates who supported a new funding model that allowed the completion of this project and to the community members who supported the combined efforts of project coordinators.

“I am so proud to be the mayor of a city like this where everyone steps in as a team,” Vinis said.

“... This project along with all of the other projects happening in our community and the other projects that SquareOne Villages has undertaken are crucial and very exciting steps to how we break the barriers. We break the mold and we create new molds — new ways of doing things, better ways of doing things to create the community that we want to be.”

Peace Presbyterian Church Pastor Glenn Edwards said the "small church" has a 20-person congregation that likes to be a part of big projects that support the community. Congregation members have been working to craft quilts to gift to co-op residents as they move into their new homes this December.

"We have members from our congregation networking with other members of Presbyterian and community groups who have quilted blankets that will welcome the new residents," Edwards said.

"That, for me, is another parable that these homes come wrapped up in love."

Looking forward

SquareOne Villages has come a long way from its start 10 years ago as a grassroots organization seeking to support the needs of unhoused community members, according to Dan Bryant, executive director of SquareOne Villages.

“We had no plan at that time to build housing,” he said of the organization’s origins.

“It actually evolved out of that work when we realized that the solution to the unhoused crisis was not more shelter. The solution is more housing.”

For coordinators at SquareOne Villages, the way to alleviate some pressure caused by the housing crisis is to think outside of the box and innovate to bring effective, sustainable solutions to those who need them by utilizing what SquareOne calls its “Village Model” — “where community is built into the housing,” according to Bryant.

Amanda Dellinger, community relations director for SquareOne Villages, said the organization is dedicated to expanding affordable housing options in Eugene and Springfield.

“Our strategic plan is to start developing a new co-op every two years so that will keep coming,” Dellinger said.

“We’re not going to stop — we’re just ramping up. SquareOne is really about supporting options for affordable housing.”

Peace Village was constructed to be net-zero ready, meaning solar panels can be installed on roofs at any time to generate as much energy as the complex uses. While Peace Village is ready for a net-zero energy burden, it sets a foundation for SquareOne Villages’ upcoming developments to be certified as net-zero complexes, including the Rosa Village located at 2243 Roosevelt Blvd. where SquareOne's Opportunity Village is now. SquareOne will break ground for the addition of Rosa Village at the Opportunity Village location in 2025 as part of its plan to develop a housing co-op every two years.

“We are very proud that the residents of this village will own and operate their own housing,” Bryant said about Peace Village.

“Not only giving them the pride and the benefit of ownership but eliminating the profit motive and assuring that this housing will remain affordable in perpetuity.”

Hannarose McGuinness is The Register-Guard’s growth and development reporter. Contact her at 541-844-9859 or hmcguinness@registerguard.com

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon's largest housing co-op celebrates completion in Eugene