[LCCH] Sorry - Instant Replay due to Technical Difficulties

[seaglass]

Hi All

Sorry -seems my moody machine cut my last message off mid-stream. I
hope this entire message gets through.

I was saying "Thanks' to Marganne for the shipping container link.
It's fascinating what has been done with those. I think I could
easily live in one of those small studio sizes as part of a community
with a larger communal space quarters. And also because I'm looking
to live in a location that's warm all year a small indoor space will
easily do me since outdoor space can be an extension and where I'd
like to be a lot anyway. So I'm wondering if there are any other
folks out there interested in an all year warm climate with similar
inclinations. Feel free to contact me here or at my email.

Exciting prospects!
Peace, Diana in Boston

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[Marganne Meyer]

At 1:57 PM -0700 5/15/10, seaglass wrote:
>So I'm wondering if there are any other
>folks out there interested in an all year warm climate with similar
>inclinations.

I'd prefer a location where summer temperatures don't exceed 85
degrees. I haven't connected with a sufficient number of people
locally to see if we could figure out how to build a small community
in Sacramento (too hot for too long in the summer).

Primarily I've thought about the Pacific Northwest. There are many
areas that don't have the typical downpour of rain you might expect
in this area.

I've been attracted to several projects located in Ithaca, NY due to
the 'flavor' of the community, it's close proximity to a large
university, and better prices than almost anywhere else. Not sure how
I'd adapt to the very cold winters.

The other area I've considered is Massachusetts, west of Boston.

Cheers!
Marganne

[Teri Zipf]

The parts of the Pacific Northwest where have what is, from elsewhere, considered stereotypical NW rainy weather, are west of the Cascades. Those that don't have it are inland, east of the Cascades, and almost universally you will find they have hot summers. I live in Eastern Washington. Hot summers, lots of sunshine 9 months a year, lots of fog 3 months.

On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 2:05 AM, Marganne Meyer <marg...@macnexus.org> wrote:

At 1:57 PM -0700 5/15/10, seaglass wrote:

So I'm wondering if there are any other
folks out there interested in an all year warm climate with similar
inclinations.

I'd prefer a location where summer temperatures don't exceed 85 degrees. I haven't connected with a sufficient number of people locally to see if we could figure out how to build a small community in Sacramento (too hot for too long in the summer).

Primarily I've thought about the Pacific Northwest. There are many areas that don't have the typical downpour of rain you might expect in this area.

I've been attracted to several projects located in Ithaca, NY due to the 'flavor' of the community, it's close proximity to a large university, and better prices than almost anywhere else. Not sure how I'd adapt to the very cold winters.

The other area I've considered is Massachusetts, west of Boston.

Cheers!
Marganne

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[Ardie Andrews]

Hi Marganne et al,

 

I love the direction this discussion is going.  When I first met Katie and Chuck, when the first cohousing book was published, I immediately decided their design model from Denmark was the answer to communal living of the 60s.  Since everyone would not be living under one roof, the perennial, persistent problems could be overcome--who will take out the trash, clean the bathrooms and maintain the common space. 

 

From the get-go I decided that a cohousing design model constructed on a CLT and financed as a limited-equity co-op was the way to go.  HA!  As almost everyone told me at the time, "What friendly banker do you know who will even tentatively consider such an endeavor"?  That was in the late 80s and much has changed, of course. Since then I have been a big proponent and supporter of cohousing, in all its forms and variations, across the country.

 

Here are just a few thoughts that have come to mind since this current effort of LCCH:

 

Site Location   This is the elephant in the room.  Most forming groups, even those that have met and worked together for some time, often split when the critical question of site control arises.  The effort that LCCH is making may have to be considered as a foundation for actual future forming groups in specific regions of the country.

 

Partners   While some folks have stated that they prefer no government involvement (and I fully understand their reluctance), as awareness of what living in community really means and how desirable it can be for many, working together with experienced nonprofits in particular areas could be a way to go.

 

Examples   About a year ago I attended the grand opening  of a cohousing community in Petaluma (north of San Francisco).  The land was provided by the city and the design includes rentals (two story building--all with exterior access/egress and elevator) as well as owner units in single and two-story.  This community deserves watching because many of the cohousers are completely new to the concept--they have not invested themselves in the months and years of coming together as a forming group to create their community.

 

$$$$$  An architectural design of 500sf would suit me just fine!  The LCCH group's focus on "small"  is quite understandable.  The underlying hope for true affordability is a goal that I share.  In Western MA, one of the first Coho groups started out with the intention of providing some lower income housing but the concept failed with the development of yet larger and larger houses.   I now live in a limited-equity co-op here in Sacramento, one of very few remaining in California.  It provides affordability but not community, unfortunately.  At least not to the extent I would like.  Unlike the McMansions of the world with all their "amenities", as Chuck Durrett says, "In cohousing, your neighbors are the amenities."

 

Sharing visions and dreams with one another is definitely a good thing, for today and for the long haul.  Trying to sort out specific locations/sites at this point seems like a bit of a distraction.  There will always be costs involved--recycled containers or otherwise--but seeking partnerships, at least for ideas and knowledgable guidance, can't hurt and might help, just like good chicken soup!

   
Hope this post makes its way around.  I am not at all proficient in this type of communication.

 

Namaste,

Ardie Andrews

On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 2:05 AM, Marganne Meyer <marg...@macnexus.org> wrote:

At 1:57 PM -0700 5/15/10, seaglass wrote:

So I'm wondering if there are any other
folks out there interested in an all year warm climate with similar
inclinations.

I'd prefer a location where summer temperatures don't exceed 85 degrees. I haven't connected with a sufficient number of people locally to see if we could figure out how to build a small community in Sacramento (too hot for too long in the summer).

Primarily I've thought about the Pacific Northwest. There are many areas that don't have the typical downpour of rain you might expect in this area.

I've been attracted to several projects located in Ithaca, NY due to the 'flavor' of the community, it's close proximity to a large university, and better prices than almost anywhere else. Not sure how I'd adapt to the very cold winters.

The other area I've considered is Massachusetts, west of Boston.

Cheers!
Marganne

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[Marganne Meyer]

Ardie: I'm also located in Sacramento!

At 10:58 AM -0700 5/17/10, Ardie Andrews wrote:

Site Location   This is the elephant in the room.  Most forming groups, even those that have met and worked together for some time, often split when the critical question of site control arises.  The effort that LCCH is making may have to be considered as a foundation for actual future forming groups in specific regions of the country

I'm told most cohousing projects spend a lot of time writing up a specific mission which helps drive many future decisions. I've yet to hear a group decide that project homes will cost no more than $xxxx as a mission statement. Construction seems to be a slippery slope for increasing expenses. Some people have the financial flexibility to 'fudge'

on the eventual expenses of construction. Those who are limited by a budget start dropping out of the project when financial criteria are not part of the project mission.

Partners   While some folks have stated that they prefer no government involvement (and I fully understand their reluctance), as awareness of what living in community really means and how desirable it can be for many, working together with experienced nonprofits in particular areas could be a way to go.

I sure hope you are right about this. I get very impatient when I have to deal with 'groups' who hold part of the construction purse strings. I often hear of projects almost being held hostage by restrictions and requirements. I'd welcome finding a nonprofit or government agency that was eager to help provide housing via a small house project, but not bring up new restrictions or requirements in the middle of construction.

One big advantage of small homes is they often can be built without a mortgage, depending on the price. I've never liked being in debt and don't foresee starting that practice now. Many people who want a small house can't qualify for a loan or mortgage. No bank will give me a mortgage of $40,000 - $50,000 or more. I'm disabled and have no means of increasing my income. Yet I have a little money set aside that could be used for a small house. Last time I bought a car, I paid cash for a new car that ran less than $20,000.

My bias is that I know there are many, many people like myself out there wanting the same things. For those of us without families, coming together to develop a project would help in a lot of ways.

Examples   About a year ago I attended the grand opening  of a cohousing community in Petaluma (north of San Francisco).

I'm aware of the project in Petaluma. It was built as a cohousing project for low-income renters I think. The rub was that none of the applicants knew anything about cohousing concepts. I'm anxious to hear how things worked out when all those people were dropped into a structured environment that required them to be involved in an intensive group process.

 $$$$$  An architectural design of 500sf would suit me just fine!  The LCCH group's focus on "small"  is quite understandable.

I should mention that the LCCH group is sort of a subset of the Small House Society. Many people are interested in the Simple Living movement. People of all income levels are involved with small homes and living simply. It's a concept that appears to be catching on a bit, but I'd say the majority of Americans would be appalled by doing things that appeared to lessen their financial worth (since that's still important to so many folks).

So we talk about low-cost community rather than 'affordable' which is a relative term. Low-cost doesn't infer that participants need public assistance.

Sharing visions and dreams with one another is definitely a good thing, for today and for the long haul.  Trying to sort out specific locations/sites at this point seems like a bit of a distraction.

I'm told most successful cohousing projects start within a particular geographical location. I'm hopeful that the sort of project I envision might pull in members from a variety of geographical locations if we can agree on the type of climate, location, weather, etc. I suspect single people or older couples might seek out a community of similar people. Sometimes if you are young and have a family, you can't be as flexible about changing the location of where you live or need to deal with finding a new job.

Hope this post makes its way around.  I am not at all proficient in this type of communication.

You did just fine, Ardie. I'm glad you joined this mailing list. You might also want to check out the Small House Society web site and it's ning.com message board. Welcome!

Cheers!

Marganne

[pam callaway]

I live in Corvallis Oregon, home of Oregon State University, about 60,000 mostly white, mostly protestant, surrounded by ag land, mostly hay and grass seed farms, some local veggie producers, lots of organics, Williamette River, rains from Halloween to Mothers Day maybe longer, lots to do that is free or cheap, kayak, hike, programs at OSU, land is sky high, farmers market is very spendy but good, roads in and out good, Portland an hour and a half, beach at Newport one hour, skiing one hour, community gardens, schools ok, lots of sports for all ages, good hospital and urgent care, good police dept., some people get SAD in the winter due to low light....anything else you might like to know about here?  Pam We do what we know..when we know better, we do better....Maya Angelou --- On Mon, 5/17/10, Teri Zipf <teri...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Marganne Meyer]

At 12:15 PM -0700 5/19/10, pam callaway wrote:
>I live in Corvallis Oregon, home of Oregon State University, about
>60,000 mostly white, mostly protestant, surrounded by ag land,
>mostly hay and grass seed farms, some local veggie producers, lots
>of organics, Williamette River, rains from Halloween to Mothers Day
>maybe longer, lots to do that is free or cheap, kayak, hike,
>programs at OSU, land is sky high, farmers market is very spendy but
>good, roads in and out good, Portland an hour and a half, beach at
>Newport one hour, skiing one hour, community gardens, schools ok,
>lots of sports for all ages, good hospital and urgent care, good
>police dept., some people get SAD in the winter due to low
>light....anything else you might like to know about here? Pam

Hey Pam!
I know Corvallis. Sounds like it gets about the same rainfall pattern
as we do here in Sacramento. There are a few people here who feel
they are affected during the more rainy, winter months. For most of
the year here, we don't lose the light until after 8 or 9 pm.

I also like the idea of being close to a university in a smaller
town, but still have access to a larger town (like Portland) not all
that far away. Do you have any idea how hard or easy it would be to
build alternative homes that probably would be much smaller than what
is usual in Corvallis?