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Bay Area's First Senior Cohousing Community Launches in Oakland
[June 17, 2013]

Bay Area's First Senior Cohousing Community Launches in Oakland


OAKLAND, Calif. --(Business Wire)--

Alameda Elder Communities (AEC), an innovator in the eldercare industry, has announced the launch of Phoenix Commons, a new model of senior living that uses cohousing principals to create a sustainable lifestyle community for older adults.

Calling itself a Cooperative Lifestyle Community, it is the first of its kind in the Bay Area. Phoenix Commons will provide an active, community-oriented lifestyle that enhances social connections and offers greater control over the retirement phase of life for people 60 and above.

Phoenix Commons cohousing community is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of the community. The physical design of Phoenix Commons is intended to encourage both social connection and individual space. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities.

The socially conscious, urban in-fill design of Phoenix Commons leaves the lightest carbon footprint possible and provides residents with the ability to live environmentally, financially and socially sustainable lives throughout retirement.

Its building systems and design enable residents to create a lifestyle that treads lightly on the planet through the efficient use of environmenal resources. Phoenix Commons will incorporate various design elements that will focus on energy conservation and efficiency, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and longevity.



The cost of some meals, transportation, future care, community maintenance, and other administrative and operational duties are shared among community members. Unlike traditional senior living communities, cohousing residents decide together the amenities and services they want and need. This provides residents with an affordable and comfortable lifestyle.

Phoenix Commons is on the waterfront of the Oakland/Alameda Estuary in the eclectic Jingletown neighborhood of Oakland. Jingletown is home to many artists who live and work in converted lofts. The neighborhood is also home to the Institute of Mosaic Art - evidenced by mosaics displayed on buildings sprinkled throughout the neighborhood. From the community it is an easy walk to downtown Alameda's Park Street shops and entertainment.


The Phoenix Commons community design process is being led by Christian Zimmerman, a recognized expert in the senior living arena. Zimmerman is CEO of Alameda Elder Communities (AEC), which provides a combination of residential care, therapy and other services devoted to seniors in Alameda and the greater Bay Area. In 1990 he created Elder Village Development, the development arm of AEC, and has since overseen the design and development of some of the most innovative and well regarded skilled nursing and assisted living communities in the nation. Phoenix Commons is AEC's newest, most innovative and environmentally sustainable senior housing project.

Phoenix Commons is slated to open its doors to residents Fall 2013. For more information on Phoenix Commons or to request a tour, please call 510.217.8527.

About Phoenix Commons

Located at 340 29th Avenue, Oakland, California, Phoenix Commons is a cooperative lifestyle community that fosters participation and interdependence. The very first cohousing senior living community in the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix Commons is a cutting-edge, new model for retirement living that combines the supportive benefits of community with individual home ownership to create a sustainable retirement lifestyle. For more information on Phoenix Commons please visit www.phoenixcommons.com.


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