Re: Re: [C-L]fences/walls in backyards in cohousing
From: Norm Gauss (normangauss11comcast.net)
Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 21:05:52 -0700 (PDT)
Patty:

    Do the fences in your community represent the boundaries of "Exclusive
Use Association Common Areas", or is each fenced area owned as part of an
individual's condominium?  Does each fenced area appear on a map as an
officially recognized amenity appurtenant to the adjacent residence and
therefore automatically transferred to the new owner upon sale and with the
same boundaries as those originally delineated?

   According to our CC&R's, exclusive use association common areas include
front porches, back patios and parking spaces. These are defined in the
Condominium Plan.  In addition, we have included a clause that enables us to
assign additional exclusive use association common areas for such purposes
as dog and cat enclosures, children's play pens, private gardens, etc.
These areas are owned by the association, but are assigned as exclusive use
areas to individual residents.

Norm Gauss
Oak Creek Commons
Paso Robles, CA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "PattyMara Gourley" <pattymara [at] juno.com>
To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 7:29 PM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Re: [C-L]fences/walls in backyards in cohousing


>
> On Tue, 18 May 2004 18:32:53 EDT DGSCCoho [at] aol.com writes:
>
> > are there any
> > words of wisdom that any of you can give us.
>
> Ok, I'll bite:  good fences make good neighbors?
> But seriously, folks, they do.  Here at Tierra Nueva (central CA coast)
> when we becgan moving in five years ago, we had a heck of a time coming
> up with a fence policy.  The few of us who had moved first were faced
> with the reality of yard clutter,  garden tools, kids toys, toddlers who
> needed containment, dogs, AND a need for private, or even semi-private,
> outdoor space.  The rest of us who were waiting to move in were more
> caught up in the cohousing Myth of No Fences.  They held firm to the
> notion that good communities don't have fences, don't need those stinking
> fences, those evil fences.  O, brother.......oh, sister.  So we went
> round and round until most everybody moved in and realized that well,
> yeah, we do need some private outdoor space, and dog places and toddler
> containment and potting areas and garbage/recycling container areas that
> are somewhat fenced in or disguised.  Clutter cover.   For the most part
> all this stuff (except for toddler yards) mostly gets located in the
> "back" of the homes, which is oops, the front yard of someone else....so
> all the more reason for pretty fences, lath screens, vine trelleses, and
> any number of garden walls (the latest we made was earthbag construction
> as a practice wall for our entry way wall/sign/welcome to Tierra Nueva.)
>
>
> The process that finally evolved is:  fence committee (open to all)
> convenes when someone needs a fence or wall or yard.  The person presents
> a drawing with the dimensions and a sense of what the desired fence looks
> like, materials, colors..  Immediate neighbors are consulted.  Committee
> and person talk among themselves.  Committee makes a recommendation to
> the group at the next business meeting to accept the design or redesign..
>  Design is posted for 2 wks for comment.  Anyone who has a comment or
> question goes directly to the person. After two weeks the person builds
> the fence, or whatever.  If there is a more immediate need (usually there
> is if a dog is involved) the process can be speeded up by the committee
> making an email or bulletin board announcement, and the time for review
> can be shortened.  So far, after five years, no big problems, though some
> of us are more willing to go through the motions of consulting the
> committee, than others.  Some of us built decks or privacy screens
> without consulting anybody, some of us went to the committee when we
> wanted to put up a little bitty plant trellis.
>
> So far everyone seems to be getting their needs met. And, I might add,
> the variety of fences, walls, trellises and assorted garden
> gates/structures add variety and visual interest to our community.  Good
> fences make good neighborhoods.  Really.
> Patty Mara Gourley
> Tierra Nueva, central CA coast
> Where we are finally, halleluia, praise jesus, building our community
> workshop.  GroundBlessing was on Sunday, after oh, maybe 7 years of
> planning, replanning, scraping together funding, redesigning, scraping
> together more funds, paying skyrocketing fees and utility charges and
> getting permits at last......finally we are going to build it.  sigh.
>
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