Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Barbara Machina (infowaxhawcoho.com) | |
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2017 07:48:54 -0700 (PDT) |
After hearing stories at the conference and from visiting local (NC) cohousing developments, the biggest cost issue I realized groups came upon was... not doing their due diligence. It's sad, but true. Re-zoning issues/costs, fixing building code violations, upcharges during build, not knowing the environmental history of the land, and not priming/sussing out the surrounding neighbors before purchasing. It seems like the most undesirable pieces of land are the only ones at a reasonable price for those buying with cash, but if you get stuck working with it, that's a lot of money wasted down the line. We're fortunate that we've got a incredibly diverse group of folks who want to participate in, contribute to, and live in cohousing, and they are also financially diverse. We haven't ruled anyone out simply based on lack of liquid income, because we appreciate their input to the process, and by getting to know them early on, and know what they can contribute reasonably, the group is already experiencing being in a very mixed-income setting. We're also trying to come up with other potential ways to include them as we learn their realistic financial situations (permanently affordable housing held by a land trust is a possible option, or long-term rentals). We're also considering modular. [Katie, I know we've talked about this previously as not really being a cost-savings path, but after running the numbers with a local, established modular company that delivers across the US and internationally, it looks like a viable plan that we'd like to explore further]. With modular, you: avoid the major building code issues (because it gets a state stamp of approval which overrides local inspectors), cut down on neighborhood disturbance (less likely to get pushback that will slow you down), have the option for 4-5 different floor plans without the overhead charges that you run into with stick built, and reduce the chance of upcharges during the build (built in a factory, no major on-site changes, no weather slow-downs, delivered in 6-8 weeks, ready for move-in in another 10). I've been meaning to write a blog post about it, I'll share when I do. Anyway, that's the direction we're working in! We dropped the last piece of land we were under contract for because there wasn't actually any water or sewer access to the property. The county confirmed it with a GIS map, but then told me maybe it could be done, so to run it by an engineer and present them a plan. They said the process can take 6 months to a year, but then slid me a list of engineers who could get it through "a little faster". I simply got lucky; another local developer I met along the way insisted he show me it wouldn't physically work, so he and his wife went out and popped the sewer lids for me to show me their depths weren't deep enough for the slope of the land. Basically, we'd have to push poop uphill. When we brought that to the county, they said it would require a $250k pump station... that they weren't willing to maintain anyway, so no. The seller, an investor, would have gladly sold us this piece of land for 8x its real value, and swore to the very end that he had no idea there was no water or sewer access. As for the lack of cultural diversity... I think, in this day and age, you have to make it abundantly clear that you accept everyone. Abundantly. People who are regularly marginalized don't necessarily feel comfortable reaching out to see if they're going to be accepted - that's opening themselves up to vulnerability they face every day. Each community has to decide on the level of diversity they're trying to obtain - if you put materials out in other languages, are you prepared for some non-english speaking families? Are your events culturally-inclusive and respectful? Are you advertising in cultural areas (people often mention to spread the word through church bulletin boards, but are they also putting them in mosques, synagogues, and other various temples)? Are you prepared to accept the way other cultures raise their children, treat their elders, and cook their food? And, most importantly, how do you demonstrate that to those you're trying to reach? On Sat, Aug 12, 2017, 8:48 AM Sharon Villines <sharon [at] sharonvillines.com> wrote: > > > On Aug 12, 2017, at 8:06 AM, Liz Ryan Cole <lizryancole [at] me.com> wrote: > > > > One hope I have had is that once cohousing neighborhoods are built and > occupied, that the uncertainly will be less, and people moving in may be > more diverse than the original founders. Has anyone looked at that - if in > fact we even have enough established cohousing development to generate > meaningful data. > > Yes. Rob Sandelin, years ago, said communities become more homogeneous. He > was one of the first cohousing facilitators/consultants. No numbers; his > experience. > > And it makes sense. Friends and friends of friends move in. Relatives of > people who live in cohousing in another state. > > How many people say to themselves, I want to go live in a diverse > community in which I am the diversity. "This ________ community needs me > because they have no ethnic diversity. I will be the diversity.” > > Sharon > ——— > Sharon Villines, Washington DC > "Grandparents are the consistency, security, and tradition in a child’s > life." Nancy Fuller, Farmhouse Rules > > _________________________________________________________________ > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > > > -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barb Machina TribeMind, LLC (980) 201-1351 Visit our website <http://waxhawcoho.com/> Follow us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/waxhawcoho/>
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab, (continued)
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Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Liz Ryan Cole, August 12 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Ann Zabaldo, August 12 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Sharon Villines, August 12 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Sharon Villines, August 12 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Barbara Machina, August 12 2017
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Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Liz Ryan Cole, August 12 2017
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Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Ann Zabaldo, August 12 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Elizabeth Magill, August 12 2017
- Re: Cohousing's Diversity Problem - CityLab Ann Zabaldo, August 12 2017
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