Cottages For Retirees

About this project
Universally-designed rowhouse cottages to be constructed on infill site in community popular with retirees.

Port Townsend, WA is finally growing, a dream of its nineteenth-century founders that was deferred for a century. The twist is that the small Olympic Peninsula city with the waterfront Victorian downtown is growing not because of lumbering and shipping, but for its friendliness to people of retirement age. Port Townsend has become a retirement community popular with active retirees and community-minded seniors.

The challenge for active seniors has been to find dwellings that allow them to focus on their interests and activities, not on maintenance and mortgages. Liz Berman has a dream of providing such dwellings.

Liz has engaged FabCab to design five rowhouse cottages in accordance with Universal Design principles. The project will be built on an infill site within walking distance of a grocery store, public transportation and health-care facilites. The cottages face a right-of-way platted by those nineteenth-century founders but never opened as a street. The right-of-way has been designated by the city as a walking trail, ensuring even better walkability for the site in the future.

Aimed to draw active seniors, the cottages will each provide essential living spaces on the ground floor. A flexible loft will provide additional space for storage, guest accommodations or a home office. A shared garden courtyard common garden shed, storage and parking court encourage and facilitate a sense of community and mutual support.

Client Testimonial
“FabCab has enthusiastically embraced my vision in a very professional manner. I appreciate the interactive approach, where my ideas are treated respectfully, while at the same time, the architects provide professionalism, leadership, creativity and expertise. I appreciate that they recognize and respond to my need for staying within a budget. They are a pleasure to work with!”
-Liz

2 thoughts on “Cottages For Retirees”

  1. Sandra Christiansen

    Very interested in this project and where it will be located and when it will be started? Are you doing any home shows again in the greater Seattle area?

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