Imagine walking through the Cambridge Commons with the scent of flowers in the air, children chasing butterflies across the meadow, students gathering on the green, and neighbors of all ages sharing a meal.
Inside the renovated Cambridge Residences, an active atrium welcomes residents and visitors. Students learn alongside older adults, local organizations host events, neighbors connect over meals, and a second-floor gallery showcases community art. In a residential assisted living household, students gain hands-on experience supporting resident wellness — while older adults gain something equally valuable: meaningful relationships, purpose, and a true sense of belonging.
This is the vision for Cambridge Residences + Commons.
Since 2023, Live Together, Inc. has been working in Allegany County to advance innovative intergenerational communities that bring together housing, education, services, and workforce development. Through a three-year Memorandum of Understanding, Frostburg State University and Live Together are exploring the transformation of a vacant student housing building into a vibrant intergenerational hub.
The updated Cambridge Residences + Commons concept brings together:
Attainable mixed-income housing for residents of different ages and life stages
Intergenerational living and learning, connecting students, older adults, families, and community members
Wellness coordination and supportive services for residents of all ages
Residential assisted living rooted in person-directed care
Experiential learning and workforce development in aging services and related fields
Community spaces, cultural activities, recreation, dining, and natural opportunities to connect
Rather than simply reusing an empty building, Cambridge Residences + Commons can become a community asset and demonstration project — one that addresses housing, aging services, workforce development, and adaptive reuse while creating opportunities for people of all ages to learn, contribute, and thrive together.
The goal is bigger than a building. It is a new model for “natural neighboring” — where relationships grow across generations simply because people live, learn, work, and participate in community together.
We invite community partners, organizations, residents, businesses, and supporters to join us in moving Cambridge Residences + Commons from vision toward implementation — and in helping create a model that could be replicated throughout Allegany County and beyond.