In these times of COVID perhaps you’ve done more walking than usual and noticed things you previously overlooked. For me, as I struggled along unplowed Gillespie Crescent, the relatively clear roads of the nearby Co-op were remarkable.

Coady Co-op, built in 1978, is one of five housing co-ops in our area. It consists of 74 units of two, three or four bedrooms including five single-story units for those living with handicaps. In common with other co-ops, to keep rents low, residents contribute hands-on to the upkeep with tasks such as gardening and maintaining a rink which keeps costs down while enhancing the sense of community.

Our friend Google found a document showing that by the end of this year Coady residents should be enjoying updated and more energy-efficient homes—siding and stucco replaced, many new windows and doors, kitchen and bathroom upgrades. That is the result of a multi-year refinancing and negotiation process, taking advantage of current low mortgage interest rates, that also saw the co-op acquire the land it had previously rented from the city.

The area’s other housing co-ops are clustered around the Hunt Club Riverside Park Community Centre and adjacent shopping.

The oldest, largest and best known is Quarry Co-op located across McCarthy Road from the community centre. Built in 1976 on a 10-acre lot it consists of 244 townhouses ranging in size from one to four bedrooms. Being older it’s a step ahead of Coady Co-op in renovating, adding better insulation and windows as seen in this photo from February. Congratulations to both co-ops for doing their part to fight climate change while saving on energy costs.

In September 2018 Quarry made news when homes at the north end of the lot suffered tornado damage—see the video at https://youtu.be/7bArU3Ri4CY

It’s quite possible to live in Hunt Club for years without knowing about the other three housing co-ops, all built in the late 1980s. They are on Twyford Street, east of the shopping centre.

Sequoia Co-op Homes at 101 Twyford has 60 three-level townhouses with two, three and four bedrooms.

Tannenhof Housing Co-op at 131 Twyford is a six-story retirement residence with 74 suites. It is designed for wheelchair accessible independent living, with organized leisure activities.

Cardinus Housing Co-op at 141 Twyford is also a six-story building. Its 78 mixed family and single apartments include 18 that are wheelchair accessible.

Find out more about co-op housing in Ottawa from the Co-operative Housing Association of Eastern Ontario including a map of co-op locations.