Re: [C-L] Developers
From: Bruce Shimizu (brucecw-homes.com)
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:13:21 -0800 (PST)
I had not originally intended on responding to the developer discussion for
fear of it appearing self serving. But, after reading the post from
Francoise Paradis, I thought it made sense to chime in.

Confession - I'm a real estate developer and have been for almost 20 years.
My first 10 years were spent with regional non-profits in Northern
California, building affordable rental apartments & sweat equity ownership
homes. Since then, the focus of my company has been developing green,
entry-level homes for working families.

I have been intrigued with cohousing since first reading Chuck & Katie's
book almost 20 years ago. Over the years, I have followed the evolution of
cohousing in the U.S. with great interest and now find myself with two
properties in Northern California that would make ideal cohousing
communities. 

Unlike a traditional cohousing community that starts with a group, or a
developer driven community that is built and then sold to members, this
model starts with the developer finding a good location, securing the land,
and then assisting interested individuals in forming a group. From that
point on, the community building & development process is pretty much the
same as in traditional cohousing.

The major hurdles for new communities seem to be locating and securing a
suitable site, finding a seller willing to give the group time, and
obtaining experience in development and community building. This model
addresses those issues before the group is formed, which should save the
group a great deal of stress, time and money.

CoHousing Partners is assisting in group formation, will be providing
resources to help with the community building process and will be an
important member of the development team.  Since I don't have the time or
inclination to reinvent the cohousing wheel, working closely with CoHousing
Partners and their team of professionals seems to make sense.

Knowing what we don't know is half the battle. 

Wish us luck!

Bruce K. Shimizu
bruce [at] cw-homes.com  
  



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