Cohousing-L Mailing List: Southern Maine proposal

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

Francoise Paradis <feparadis48 [at] yahoo.com> / feparadis [at] 
hiddensprings.info
is the author of the message below.
It was posted by Fred, the Cohousing-L list mgr <fholson [at] cohousing.org>
after deleting quoted digest and supplying subject line.
--------------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------

HELLO COHOUSERS,

I'd like to introduce myself and share my experience.  I have been
thinking about doing a devleopment on my land in southern Maine for
several years, but nothing really came together in my mind.  I had been
reading about eco-villages and cohousing.  This summer, while I was a
buddhist retreat, the vision crystalized in my mind.  When I returned
home, I started interviewing developers/builders.  I made my choice based
on the enthusiasm and open-mindedness of two builders who knew nothing
about cohousing, but liked the idea when I explained it to them.

  Mind you, I do not have a group of investors or residents.  I do have a
group of friends who are interested in the concept and in perhaps buying
in when the economy changes and they can sell their current homes.  But
these friends are my "advisory group" if you will, who are involved in the
designing of the site plan, the floor plans, and the common elements.

  The builders and I have assembled a great team of architects, engineers,
and landscape architects who share our enthusiasm and understand the
concept.  The landscape architects have been involved in the design of one
community in MA.  I know I am doing this backward - building before having
the community.  But I really feel that we are at a point in our society
when we cannot wait 10 years for people to come together to change the way
we live and impact our planet.  I am trusting my judgment, the experiences
of other cohousing communities, my focus group of friends, and my
wonderful design team to build this community with integreity, charm, and
green to the greatest extent possible.  The whole team is keen on having a
fossil-free community.  The zoning board of our town is supportive and
enthused about the project and are helping us move it along so we can
start building this summer, less than a year after I started the ball
rolling.  Our team understands the intentions of the community and are on
board with them.  Check our website, whcih I am in the process of creating
at http://mysite.verizon.net/bizx87ws/greenswardhamlet/

  In reading people's experiences, fears, and distrust of developers, I
would say that the best way to do this is to make sure you connect with
the developers at a level much deeper than the financial aspect of this
great endeavor.  Make sure they understand your concept, your intentions,
your concerns, your vision, and the limitations (i.e. keeping it
affordable and within your budget).  Your own inner knowing or intuition
will serve you best in making this connection.  If you have a team that is
on board with you, you will have a great experience and a great community.
The community building starts with the design team and builders, not just
the residents.

Francoise


Francoise Paradis, Ed.D.
http://www.francoiseparadis.com
http://www.hiddensprings.info