Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: How large a core group needed for site design?

[Jerry McIntire (jerry.mcintire]

Sharon wrote:
"Someone makes the decisions in your group. Who is it? On what basis do
they decide? Do you have a written business plan?

It is better to define a goal, make decisions, and continue to develop them
— successive approximations. By not making decisions based on the decision
to be open to new people and new ideas, is to err on the side of not having
anything to make decisions about. Decisions are what makes your community
come into being. To take shape."

Sounds like you are recommending we start design work and deciding on
policies, recognizing that they can change as we get closer to construction
and more members join. Did I reach an accurate conclusion? In other words,
you don't see making decisions with just 5 or 6 households as unwise?

Jerry

Jerry McIntire
Stone's Throw Ecovillage, in the heart of Wisconsin's beautiful Driftless
region
http://stonesthrowcommunity.wordpress.com/
1-608-637-6620

On Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 6:28 AM, Sharon Villines <sharon [at] 
sharonvillines.com>
wrote:

>
>
> > On Jun 14, 2015, at 11:16 PM, Jerry McIntire <jerry.mcintire [at] gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > What do you all think? Is 5-6 too few to be making decisions? We made the
> > decision to buy the land with four. We are planning on 15 total because
> we
> > are in a rural area, very small market.
>
> I think most people don’t believe you when you say you are waiting to
> decide. I remember an orientation session with a group in Albany NY. A
> woman kept asking about members joining and when “they" would make a
> decision. “They" kept responding in the vague cohousing way about personal
> choices, diversity,  values, etc. And she kept saying what diversity are
> you looking for, etc. It went on for quite a bit.
>
> Finally, someone said, she wants to know when you will decide if she can
> be a member.
>
> "Oh, well you decide that.”
>
> “Like I just say I want to be a member?”
>
> “Yes.”
>
> “Who are the members now?”
>
> “Well, ….. "
>
> Most people want to seal the deal. And know there is a deal to be sealed.
> Since most cohousing communities are started on a wing and prayer by people
> who have never done this before, that’s hard.
>
> As on most things, I have strong opinions on governance. If you don’t have
> above ground governance, you will have underground governance. Someone
> makes the decisions in your group. Who is it? On what basis do they decide?
> Do you have a written business plan?
>
> It is better to define a goal, make decisions, and continue to develop
> them — successive approximations. By not making decisions based on the
> decision to be open to new people and new ideas, is to err on the side of
> not having anything to make decisions about. Decisions are what makes your
> community come into being. To take shape.
>
> You can only get started by getting started.
>
> Good that you have land! A great place to start making decisions.
>
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Sociocracy: A Deeper Democracy
> http://www.sociocracy.info
>
>