Riverside Crossing Brings the “Pocket Neighborhood” to Montana’s 55+ Residents

Something new and interesting is happening in Hamilton, Montana. It's called Riverside Crossing, and it's a new kind of cooperative community for folks who are 55+. There, between the Sapphire and Bitterroot Mountains, are 50 planned cottages arranged in several cozy "pockets" of 8-10 cottages each on 8.5 acres of land leased from the Ravalli County Council on Aging, the sponsor of this innovative project.

There are two-story, 1.5-story, and single-story cottages. Privacy is respected in the way the cottages “nest” together, with each cottage having an “open side” with windows facing its side yard and a ”closed side” with high windows. In this way, privacy is ensured between neighbors.  Each cottage has a spacious front porch adjoining a shared green living space. Folks can greet their neighbors as they go out to dinner, come home from the store, or sit on their porches and read.

The cottages are architecturally appealing and offer plenty of room and storage space. Designs begin at 684 square feet and go up to 1601 square feet, and each has a one-car garage plus an additional parking spot. A to-be-built shared common house will have rooms for meetings, exercise, a full kitchen, and even accommodation for visiting guests.  

The idea is based on concepts from the work of architect Ross Chapin, who conceived of small pocket neighborhoods of tight-knit communities, "settings where nearby neighbors can easily know one another, where empty nesters and single householders with far-flung families can find friendship or a helping hand nearby..." In an increasingly divided world "for a growing segment of people who want a stronger sense of community, pocket neighborhoods offer a welcome option." 55+ housing cooperatives have caught on in the Midwest and are now making their first foray into the Rocky Mountain West.

The advantages of Riverside Crossing are not exclusively social. It's also affordable. After buying a Share Certificate and a Membership Certificate for the remaining value, a monthly fee covers lawn care, snow removal, inside and outside cottage maintenance, property taxes, property insurance, and a stipend for utilities.  Unlike most other housing cooperatives, Riverside Crossing has no master mortgage and is debt free. Members even retain the ability to use standard homeowner tax deductions.

Snowbirds can safely leave at the first sign of dipping temperature and only return after the mountains are clear of snow, all the while knowing their cottages and yards are well taken care of by a professional staff.

Riverside Crossing is the first cooperative of its sort in Montana. As of the time of this writing, there are fifteen residences in Riverside Crossing, with two more currently being built. One of those residents is Paul Travitz, who also happens to be the Project Manager for the Co-Op. "It's a short walk to work," he quipped in our email exchange.

More information on Riverside Crossing can be obtained by visiting www.riversidecrossing.org or email Paul at [email protected].