Legal Blog

Real Estate Focus: Cottage Communities as a New Way to Live?

If you’re like me, you hear the word “cottage” and think quaint vacation spot or the setting for a fairy tale novel. However, a recent development in Washington, D.C. challenges this perhaps-common perception. Cottage Communities – or smaller single-family homes grouped in smaller pockets with a communal center.

Cottage Communities connect homes that are approximately 1,000-1,500 square feet with a communal backyard and common area (such as a kitchen and lounge) available to all residents. Such a layout has been found to be attractive to baby boomers, looking to downsize after years of owning a larger residence while seeking a sense of community.

Falls Church, Virginia recently opened to the market a community called the “Railroad Cottages,” specifically for consumers aged 55 and older. There are ten total cottages in this community, with each home including 1,490 square feet with two bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a parking space. All ten homes share a common house that includes a kitchen and entertainment space. The homes range from $750,000-$800,000 each.

While perhaps new to the D.C. area, Cottage Communities first emerged in Washington state during the late 1990s. A primary reason why they have not “skyrocketed” or taken off nationwide is likely due to zoning restrictions. Typically, local zoning ordinances regulate density or the number of units permitted on a piece of land. In the context of Cottage Communities, developers typically exceed zoning regulations by packing so many homes so close together – rather than including, say, one home on an entire plot of land.

However, as evidenced by the Railroad Cottages in Falls Church, there are ways around this requirement. The City of Falls Church granted its developer a special exception that permitted additional density and therefore granted permission to build. As the population ages and more people seek different and more comfortable ways to live, it is possible that Northern Virginia and other regions may change their zoning codes to allow cottage communities (perhaps creating new zones).  I will be on the lookout for this development trend to see if it takes off further.

If you have any questions about this or any other Real Estate topics, please contact me at tstringham@offitkurman.com or 703-745-1849

 

ABOUT THEODORA STRINGHAM

tstringham@offitkurman.com | 703-745-1849

Theodora Stringham assists individuals, businesses, and organizations with growing successfully while minimizing liability. Focusing on real estate and personnel needs, Ms. Stringham executes sustainable plans for real estate development and employee matters. She provides comprehensive representation for everyday growth issues, including, but not limited to, re-zonings, site plan approvals, eminent domain/valuation concerns, employment discrimination, and disciplinary issues. Ms. Stringham’s scope of representation ranges from identifying potential liability and providing counseling/trainings, all the way through representation at trial.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN

Offit Kurman is one of the fastest-growing full-service law firms in the United States. With over 200 attorneys in 14 offices that stretch from New York to North Carolina, we represent privately-held companies and families of wealth throughout their business life cycles. Our mission is to provide our clients with “The Better Way” to grow their organizations, protect their businesses’ and families’ wealth, and resolve their most challenging legal conflicts. In addition to our quality of attorneys and breadth of legal services, Offit Kurman is distinguished by our unique operational structure, which encourages collaboration rather than internal competition. The same approach that makes our firm attractive to legal practitioners gives clients unlimited access to experienced counsel in every area of the law. Trust, Knowledge, Confidence—in a partner, that’s perfect.

Find out why Offit Kurman is The Better Way to protect your business, your assets and your family by connecting via our Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages. You can also sign up to receive LawMatters, Offit Kurman’s monthly newsletter covering a diverse selection of legal and corporate thought leadership content.

DELAWARE | MARYLAND | NEW JERSEY | NEW YORK | NORTH CAROLINA | PENNSYLVANIA | VIRGINIA | WASHINGTON, DC