Re: Cohousing vs. HOA Communities | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: aamato (aamatoworldbank.org) | |
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 08:36:29 -0700 (PDT) |
Pete, I just picked up these bulleted points from the cohousing.org website. They are basically how cohousing is different from a conventional HOA. However, it would be very interesting to see how some of these characteristics might be worked into conventional situations....By the way there is a forming cohousing group in central New Jersey called, I think, Garden State Cohousing. Best of luck, Anna Amato Jersey Girl living in Washington, DC at Takoma Village Cohousing. The Main Characteristics of Cohousing 1. PARTICIPATORY PROCESS. Future residents participate in the design of the community so that it meets their needs. Some cohousing communities are initiated or driven by a developer, which may actually make it easier for more future residents to participate. However, a well-designed, pedestrian-oriented community without resident participation in the planning may be "cohousing-inspired," but it is not a cohousing community. 2. NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN. The physical layout and orientation of the buildings (the site plan) encourages a sense of community. For example, the private residences are clustered on the site leaving more shared open space, the dwellings typically face each other across a pedestrian street or courtyard, and/or cars are parked on the periphery. The common house is often visible from the front door of every dwelling. But more important than any of these specifics is that the intent is to create a strong sense of community with design as one of the facilitators. 3. COMMON FACILITIES. Common facilities are designed for daily use, are an integral part of the community, and are always supplemental to the private residences. The common house typically includes a common kitchen, dining area, sitting area, children's playroom and laundry and may also have a workshop, library, exercise room, crafts room and/or one or two guest rooms. Except on very tight urban sites, cohousing communities often have playground equipment, lawns, and gardens as well. Since the buildings are clustered, larger sites may retain several or many acres of undeveloped shared open space. 4. RESIDENT MANAGEMENT. Cohousing communities are managed by their residents. Residents also do most of the work required to maintain the property, participate in the preparation of common meals and meet regularly to develop policies and do problem-solving for the community. 5. NON-HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE AND DECISION-MAKING. In cohousing communities there are leadership roles, but no one person or persons who has authority over others. Most groups start with one or two "burning souls" but as people join the group, each person takes on one or more roles consistent with his or her skills, abilities or interests. Most cohousing groups make all of their decisions by consensus, and although many groups have a policy for voting if consensus cannot be reached after a number of attempts, it is very rarely or never necessary to resort to voting. 6. NO SHARED COMMUNITY ECONOMY. The community is not a source of income for its members. Occasionally, a cohousing community will pay one of its own members to do a specific (usually time limited) task, but more typically the task will simply be considered to be that member's contribution to the shared responsibilities Pete Holsberg <pjh42 [at] verizon.ne To: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> t> cc: Subject: [C-L]_ Cohousing vs. HOA Communities 08/29/2005 12:13 PM Please respond to Cohousing-L I live in a single-family house/over-55 community with a Homeowners Association and am on a mailing list with members that are trying to do away with the so-called evils of HOAs -- non-judicial foreclosures, lack of accountability of the board of directors, too much control over what people can do to the outsides of their houses and property, etc. From what I've been reading, a cohousing community is one that, like an HOA community of single family houses, ownx and manages common properties, and collects dues for that purpose. What other ways are cohousing and HOAs alike? Different? Bulleted lists preferable. :-) Thanks. -- Pete Holsberg Columbus, NJ -- Because religious belief, or non-belief, is such an important part of every person's life, freedom of religion affects every individual. State churches that use government power to support themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of the church tends to make the clergy unresponsive to the people and leads to corruption within religion. Erecting the "wall of separation between church and state," therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society. Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), speech, 1808 _________________________________________________________________ Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
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Cohousing vs. HOA Communities Pete Holsberg, August 29 2005
- Re: Cohousing vs. HOA Communities aamato, August 30 2005
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Re: Cohousing vs. HOA Communities Pete Holsberg, August 30 2005
- Re: Cohousing vs. HOA Communities Sharon Villines, September 6 2005
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Re: Cohousing vs. HOA Communities Catya Belfer-Shevett, August 30 2005
- Re: Cohousing vs. HOA Communities Pete Holsberg, August 30 2005
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