OAKLAND, CA-The Bay Area's first senior co-housing community is about to go up. Phoenix Commons, is a 41-unit project along the Oakland/Alameda Estuary was the focal point of a recent groundbreaking ceremony that included future residents, co-housing advocates and Oakland city leaders.

Phoenix Commons, a cooperative lifestyle community for senior living, will use co-housing principals to create a sustainable, active lifestyle for older adults.

“Phoenix Commons is an innovative, collaborative and environmentally sustainable senior community where, together, residents will have control over their own futures,” said Lauren Zimmerman-Cook, chief financial officer of Elder Village Development, which is spearheading the project. “This is more than just a building – it truly is a community where people can come together to create the kind of lives in retirement that they've always dreamed of.”