The Zoe Bayliss Women’s Cooperative, which was at risk of complete dissolution, has found a new home on Langdon Street, according to a press release posted to the co-op’s Instagram page.
Last spring, the University of Wisconsin announced that the organization’s current building on 915 West Johnson St. would be demolished to make space for the Levy Hall College of Letters and Science, the campus’s new humanities building. Levy will begin construction in 2023, according to UW.
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The cooperative has leased the Johnson Street house from UW for the last 67 years, according to the press release, to provide affordable housing on campus for students who cannot afford to live in dorms or other campus housing. They will relocate to 636 Langdon St. The move will also open the co-op to students of all Madison-area colleges.
The Zoe Bayliss Cooperative is the only student cooperative housing establishment in Wisconsin and one of the only options for affordable housing at UW, the press release said.
Though they’ll have to part with their old building, the cooperative is relieved that they’ll be able to continue, Zoe Bayliss Co-op Vice President Ishita Arora said. The cooperative hopes to move into its new location by the summer of 2023.
Zoe Bayliss worked with the Madison Community Cooperative to find a new space, according to the press release. MCC is a Madison nonprofit that creates affordable housing options in Madison, according to its website.
Zoe Bayliss turned down an offer from the university to house the co-op in Phillips Hall, one of UW’s Lakeshore area residence halls, in April, according to an email statement to The Badger Herald from UW spokesperson Jeff Novak.
The proposal offered a 12-month lease rather than nine, which would have reduced prices and eliminated concerns surrounding summer housing, Novak said.
Arora said the plan was not ideal because living in Phillips would have reduced the organization’s capacity. It felt like UW left the cooperative to their own devices and should have done more to find them adequate housing, Arora said.
“The last year, we’ve spent a lot of time wrestling with the university to provide us with an affordable and realistic option … ” Arora said. “Ultimately, they were unable to provide us that and declined to offer us money to help us move or find a place ourselves.”
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But working with MCC was a breath of fresh air, Arora said. She felt that they genuinely wanted to help the Zoe Bayliss community.
“Ultimately [the co-op] decided to go in a different direction,” Novak said. “We have thoroughly appreciated our partnership over the years, and we wish them the best of luck.”
UW is working with the appropriate offices on campus to donate furniture and other equipment to the co-op’s new location, Novak said.
Cash or check donations to support the Zoe Bayliss Cooperative’s move can be sent to Madison Community Cooperative at 1202 Williamson St., Suite 106, Madison, WI, 53703.
