parking locations | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcomeolympus.net) | |
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2015 11:53:51 -0800 (PST) |
RoseWind Cohousing, 26 years in, Port Townsend WA. Although having parking at the periphery is a core concept of cohousing, it is not the only possibility that can work. For a variety of reasons, including topography and City requirements for emergency access, our PUD design gave us parking that included at least one spot at each house (all of our units are single-family). We negotiated the, additional, requirements for on-street parking so that instead of parking strips alongside our roads we were allowed to have narrower streets and a number of parking bays, each accomodating several cars. Our 9-acre site is accessed by five different street extensions coming in from three directions. The parking by each house is either off one of these or off the streets that border our property. I don't think overall this has undermined community. We still have the whole center of our site which is car-free. Our pedestrian pathways see plenty of use, for walkers, bicyclists, dog walkers, people going to and from the common house, vegetable gardens, play structure, and each others' homes. Almost every day I walk past many of our homes, and I also see who is passing by on the main path and may step out onto my deck to greet them. The presence or absence of vehicles at other people's homes is another way I know what is going on with them: they are home so I could stop by, or they are not, or they have company. With the lens of community connection, it is actually another link. Even with our mild weather -- I just sipped morning coffee in my side yard, enjoying the bright green grass and first spring flowers in the sunshine, in just a light sweater-- I am often grateful to be able to access my car right by the house: with a sleeping grandchild, load of groceries, pile of stuff to take to Goodwill, in the rain, etc. In addition, the occasional truck can get close to refill my propane tank, make household repairs or deliveries. Much of what makes cohousing work is in the physical design, but your intentions and attitude and caring to connect with each other can override variations that aren't necessarily "by the book." Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
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