The Story of a Milestone (and so many keys!)

Written by: Shelly Parks, 4th Corner Commons Community Coordinator

 And the winner is... 

Our journey to purchasing the future home of 4th Corner Commons actually began back in the fall of 2024. A group of early 4CC members spent a day touring four different properties around Bellingham, armed with our wish list: enough space, the right zoning, a great neighborhood, and a place that simply felt right. 

Even though the former Bellingham School District property at 1306 Dupont Street wasn't officially for sale yet, we knew it was coming. By the end of the day, it had become our clear favorite. 

We had to move fast... 

Not long after our tour, the property officially hit the market. We jumped into negotiations, full of excitement and hope. 

Then came the news we didn't want to hear. 

Another buyer's offer had been accepted. 

A huge disappointment 

It was hard not to wonder what came next. We'd fallen in love with the Dupont Street site because it checked so many boxes, and there simply weren't many other places in Bellingham where we could imagine creating the kind of cohousing community we dreamed about. 

For a while, it felt like our dream had slipped away. 

The phone call that changed everything 

Then, on an ordinary Tuesday in early June 2025, everything changed. 

The broker called with unexpected news. 

The first deal had fallen through. 

"Are you still interested?" 

You can probably guess our answer. 

Absolutely! 

How much money can a cohousing community raise in one day? 

One thing that's unique about cohousing is that the future residents are the developers. We invest together to make the community happen, sometimes with the support of friends and believers who want to help us succeed. 

Knowing we didn't want to lose this opportunity a second time, everyone sprang into action. In just one day we raised an incredible $340,000 for earnest money and the feasibility work needed to move forward. 

By the end of June 2026, 1306 Dupont Street was officially under contract. 

Reality checks can be hard 

Like so many people who toured the site, we were captivated by the beautiful 1908 school building. Wouldn't it be wonderful to preserve it? 

Working alongside our development partner, Danny Milman of UD+P, we carefully explored every possibility. In the end, the numbers—and the building itself—told us the same story. Renovating it simply wasn't financially or structurally feasible. 

While it wasn't the answer we had hoped for, it allowed us to move forward with confidence, knowing we were making the best long-term decision for the community and for the larger neighborhood around us. 

Time to build a community...and a community 

With the property under contract and our feasibility work well underway, we gathered for our Kick-off Workshop led by the renowned Katie McCamant of Cohousing Solutions. It was our first real deep dive into what it would take to build and create 4th Corner Commons. 

By the end of that workshop, 18 households had committed to joining the adventure. 

Is "group design" a crazy idea? 

Next came one of the most exciting parts of the journey: designing our future neighborhood. 

Working with architect Bryan Bowen of Caddis Collaborative, we spent two full weekends and many evenings on Zoom, dreaming, sketching, discussing, and refining ideas for both our individual homes and the community as a whole. 

Something unexpected happened during those weekends. 

The people who had arrived as relative strangers began leaving as friends and future neighbors. 

We listened to one another, learned from one another, and discovered that when a group has good facilitation and a shared vision, amazing things can happen. 

But how will we actually live together? 

Designing buildings is only part of creating a cohousing community. 

The equally important question became: How do we want to live together? 

With the wonderful guidance of Laurie Frank, President of the Board for the National Cohousing Alliance, we spent time exploring our shared values, our hopes for the future, and the culture we want to create at 4th Corner Commons. 

Those conversations have become the foundation for the community we're building. 

One very nerve-wracking moment... 

People sometimes assume there must be a big developer behind a project like this. 

There isn't. 

We're a group of ordinary people doing something extraordinary, supported by an amazing team of professionals who guide us along the way. Community members serve on teams focused on finance, legal, marketing, governance, and development. Together, we're making this happen. 

That also meant one of us had the responsibility of authorizing the final payment to purchase the property. 

Let's just say wiring nearly $3 million on behalf of dozens of future neighbors is not something most people ever expect to do! 

Time to celebrate! 

The relief was immediate when the title company confirmed that everything had gone through successfully. 

We had done it. 

After months of dreaming, planning, fundraising, designing, and trusting one another... 

We officially owned 1306 Dupont Street. 

Naturally, we celebrated together. 

So...many...keys! 

One of the funniest moments came when we received possession of the property. 

We expected a few keys. 

Instead, we were handed an entire box full of them! Guess that’s what you get when you are now in possession of an old school building. 

It felt like the perfect symbol of this milestone. We now hold the keys to our future community—and we're just getting started. 

Thank you to everyone who has helped us reach this incredible moment. We can't wait to meet the people who are yet to join us!