Cohousing-L Mailing List: 2 LOW-COST CONDOS AVAILABLE (Income limits apply) IN COHOUSING/INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY

[Elke (kweenz]

Clucking chickens, shared meals, children, artists, bicycles,
musicians, social change work, biodiesel, fruit trees...

These are some of the things you'll find at Mariposa Grove.


2 LOW-COST CONDOS AVAILABLE (Income limits apply)
       IN COHOUSING/INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY

MARIPOSA GROVE MISSION
Mariposa grove is a member-owned, consensus-based intentional
community in an urban setting that supports sustainability, social
justice activism, creativity and the arts.  We are creating a
permanently affordable home, a physical and social space where we
share resources and responsibilities, grow together and support each
other to fulfill our personal dreams while providing a model for the
larger community of which we are a part.

We have a rich web of relationships and history among the adults and
children living here. Our community culture attempts to reflect our
mission, supporting us and our society.


All applicants must attend one of our open houses, read all materials
supplied, and complete a written application. A description of our
community, open house & application information, membership criteria
and directions are contained in this email after the descriptions of
the units.

FIRST UNIT

Unit's Description
Sweet 2 BR approx. 530sq. ft. apartment
This first floor unit has beautiful Pergo style floors, new slate
floor in bathroom, ample closets in the bedrooms, gas heat and stove,
a dishwasher, an herb and flower garden outside the south facing front
window and a kitchen skylight. It was entirely remodeled in 2001.

Financial Details
Move in: Negotiable between now and May 1
Maximum Annual Income for this unit:
$46,350 (for a 1 person household) $53,000 (for a 2 person household)
or $59,600 (for a 3 person household)
Recommended Minimum Income: $41,000 (less with large downpayment, or
you have access to ultra-low interest loans)
Estimated Unit Purchase Price: $190,000
LLC investment & down payment: $5,500.00 (Required before move-in.
Applied to purchase as down payment)
Monthly Rent Until Time of Purchase: $1,135    (+ supplies fee)

SECOND UNIT

Unit's Description
Charming 2 BR approx. 634 sq. ft. apartment
First floor apartment, multi-pained glass door opens out to the
courtyard. Living room and kitchen window look out into the backyard
(soon to be lush gardens). Both bedrooms have ample closets;
convenient eat in kitchen with refrigerator and gas stove. Gas heated.
Beautiful, unique, hardwood floors, trim, & little details like
decorative door knobs. Terra Cotta style tiles in bathroom and
kitchen.

Financial Details
Move in: Negotiable between April 1 and May 1
Maximum Annual Income for this unit:
$46,350 (for a 1 person household) $53,000 (for a 2 person household)
or $59,600 (for a 3 person household)
Recommended Minimum Income: $41,000 (less with large downpayment, or
you have access to ultra-low interest loans)
Estimated Unit Purchase Price: $205,000
LLC investment & down payment: $5,500.00 (Required before move-in.
Applied to purchase as down payment)
Monthly Rent Until Time of Purchase: $1,236    (+ supplies fee)

BOTH UNITS

Currently, these are rentals in a cohousing community. However, we're
in the process of converting to condominiums. During the time it takes
to become condos (4-6 months?), the units will be rented by our new
member/purchaser. This means that you should be prepared to to invest
$5500 in the LLC and prequalify for a loan to buy the unit before
moving in and to purchase and qualify for a mortgage based on credit
and income within 4-6 months.

If your income is higher than the maximum above for your household
size, your application can not be considered. This must be verified
through pay stubs and/or tax returns.

Depending on your income & household size, there may be $75,000 -
$100,000 in combined subsidies from the city of Oakland for first-time
homebuyer downpayment assistance.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION (more info in person and in application packet)
3 buildings on 2 lots sharing back, side and front yards. Total of 6
units, plus a common unit, cohousing style.

10 min from Ashby Bart in North Oakland, close to Berkeley Bowl, Whole
Foods, Independently owned cafes and farmers markets.
Collective/cooperative/consensus-based group with some shared meals
(currently about twice/week). Our common unit contains shared living &
dining rooms, kitchen, guest room, laundry, art room, office, and
more. Our property hosts fruit trees and front gardens (soon to be
back gardens too), 8 chickens, children's play area, cozy swing
nestled in back yard, kiwi vines, many fruits and vegetables growing
around the back yard, a covered workshop area, and two redwood common
decks, one especially ideal for movement classes and gatherings, the
other for quiet contemplation over morning coffee/tea.

A friendly non-profit (Northern California Land Trust - NCLT)
purchased the property in 2005. Mariposa Grove members are co-owners
with the Land Trust and formed an LLC corporation which oversees the
property and works with NCLT to continue on the path toward
condoization (individual purchase of units estimated July 2007).

Monthly rent of each unit includes water & sewer, but not PG&E. There
is also a small household fee assessed per adult that covers supplies
like toilet paper, DSL, laundry soap, dish soap, community retreats,
chicken feed and some shared entertainment.

OPEN HOUSES & APPLICATION
We are having 2 open houses for anyone interested in the units:
  Sunday, March 4th from 10am- 2pm
  Saturday, March 10th from from 10am- 2pm
  more dates may be added - please see our website for details

We will hand out applications and other materials at the open house.
We will not distribute applications by email, or at any other time
other than open houses.

If you are interested, you MUST come to one of the open houses. We
will give you an application to return by March 14. NO applications
will be considered after the deadline.

If we invite you to an interview you must submit copies of:
  - Two most recent federal tax returns
  - Current income documentation (either 3 recent consecutive
    paystubs, OR 12-month profit & loss statement if self-employed,
    or other form of documentation)
  - A recent credit report (within the past 90 days) which is a
    merged report (i.e. from all 3 reporting bureaus: Equifax,
    TransUnion & Experian) OR $25 for us to run a report for you.
This information MUST be submitted in advance of the interview.

Please do not email questions. We will answer questions at the open
house and after. If you are still curious about Mariposa Grove, please
visit our website (which is in the process of being updated. Please
revisit within a couple days) at
http://www.healthyarts.com/mariposagrove. We are requesting this due
to an overwhelming response of emails. Thank you for your
understanding and interest.

MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA
Here is part of what we will look at in choosing a new member.
More details are in the application packet.
  - desire to live in a cooperative/collective environment
  - willingness, interest, & ability to share the
    workload of organizing the community including
    attending regular co-op meetings
  - willingness & interest in cooking for the group
    semi-regularly
  - skills in dealing with conflicts
  - emotional and communication skills
  - involvement in social justice/social change
    work/activism
  - interest and ability to carry projects that will
    make Mariposa beautiful, interesting and open to
    broader communities
  - creative, artistic sensibility
  - experience living or working in diverse environments

DIRECTIONS
Mariposa Grove
828, 832 & 834 59th St., Oakland
cross street Martin Luther King, Jr. Way

via BART: get off at Ashby. Come out on the west side of
the station (towards MLK rather than Adeline), cross MLK,
and walk South down MLK. Stay on MLK as it goes under
the BART tracks. Turn right on 59th St. to 828 & 832.

via CAR/FREEWAY: take 580 to rte 24, then take the 51st
Street/MLK exit (first exit). Stay to the left for
MLK. 59th street is the 3rd light. Turn left onto 59th
and go to 828 & 832.

BOTH: 828 & 832 are a little past halfway down the block,
on the right. Down the driveway in the middle is the
backyard and where you will likely find people. Give a yell
if you need to. If you don't find someone quickly, knock on
any door. We will most likely be inside 828A or 832 (the units
available) or the upstairs of 828 (the common house
__,_._,___

             Mariposa Grove
   CoHousing / Cooperative / Community
        Creativity & Social Change

email: <mariposa [at] ic.org>
web: http://www.healthyarts.com/mariposagrove/