Pioneering/Building in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods/Gentrification
From: Cora Roelofs (corar2000netzero.com)
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 14:39:28 -0700 (PDT)
We're in the site search and working with a development partner. I was 
wondering about any experiences related to developing cohousing in economically 
disadvantaged neighborhoods.
I know that Swan's Market played a role in the re-development of downtown 
Oakland and I'm curious about others' experience with their site selection 
process and predicting the future of a neighborhood without high housing 
prices. There are lots of comments that could be brought out about the social 
issues, but I'm specifically interested in the development and economic issues. 
And perhaps leaving aside the current crazy real estate situtation. 
Specifically, can we sell units for what they cost to build in a place where 
housing prices for other types of housing (even nice housing) are relatively 
low?  Won't the bank look at our housing prices and compare them to 
"comparable" units in the area and find them too high? Won't prospective 
cohousers do the same? This is even if we get cheap land, since construction 
costs seem still to be high. 
I guess I'd be interested in general comments as well about cohousers "moving 
in" to poor neighborhoods where most of the cohousers are not poor themselves. 
And I'm thinking this is a gentrification question as well -- the upsides and 
the downsides of increasing the average value of housing in a poor neighborhood.
Cora 
Stony Brook Cohousing
forming and search in and around Jamaica Plain, MA
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