environment + design + symbiosis
“Pocket neighborhoods” — a lifestyle concept familiar to local talent Ross Chapin Architects that’s gaining attention and popularity in our area — are communities of well-engineered and smartly designed cottages built around a usable landscaped commons with parking screened from the street. The emphasis: intimacy with boundaries, livability, safety, quality, eco-consciousness. The Danielson Grove community in Kirkland is featured below.
Innovative zoning | Pioneering design
The Cottage Housing Development (CHD) zoning code preserves housing diversity, affordability, character, and discourages sprawl. It allows for up to double the density of detached homes in all single-family zones (with some provisions).
The flow from public to private spaces are well thought out to create harmony between mingling and privacy. When homes are wrapped around a commons, visibility can alert neighbors to shady activity.
Danielson Grove: This award-winning pocket neighborhood is located in Kirkland on North Rose Hill and offers six different architectural plans/footprints. A mix of 16 3-bedroom homes and 1 and 2-bedroom cottages are arranged around shared garden courtyards and community clubhouse. The homes are tailored for a simple yet rich lifestyle in a setting where neighbors can know one another. The houses are BuiltGreen | EnergyStar certified and subscribe to the “Natural Yard Care” program. HOA fees pay for common-area expenses.
Small homes can feel large with enough natural light and storage. Danielson Grove homes feature high ceilings, open floor plans, built-ins, expansive windows, huge closets, open kitchen, spacious bedrooms/bathrooms, deep sills, nooks, spacious/ functional porches, ample storage, and walk-in closets.
When looking at small homes, walk through without looking at the square footage and ask yourself “Is this home livable and functional?” It’s a different question from “What’s the square footage?” Well-engineered homes are exceptionally functional. Size isn’t everything ya know, it’s how ya rock what ya got.
This home in Danielson Grove sold for $515K in November.
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