Cohousing-L Mailing List: Parking issues

[Nancy Wight (wight]

I would like to know how other existing cohousing groups
have handled parking.  This continues to be a thorny issue
in our group.  In our programming sessions, we decided that
there would be a pedestrian zone, into which no cars could
enter (except for moving in, large deliveries or if someone
is temporarily disabled).  Those people who felt they needed
parking at their house for whatever reason could pick from
a number of houses on one side of the site plan that had
drive-up parking.

The problem is, there is one fewer house with parking than
there are people who want them (I believe we have 11 out of
24 houses with drive-up parking).  This is causing great pain
because some of the families feel so strongly about this that
they would leave the group if they didn't have drive-up parking.

My question is, once people move in, do people really find it
a problem to have to walk to their cars?  The distances in our
community vary from about 75 to 350 feet and we plan to build
or buy carts for people to carry their kids and groceries.  
Keep in mind we have 7 months of winter here and last year's 
was abominable.

I, personally, have been looking forward to a car free environment
around my house, and having to spend 45 seconds outdoors walking
through my community to get to my car, but I wonder if I'm being
foolish and after a year I'll hate it.

- Nancy

-- 
New View Neighborhood Development, Acton, MA  
wight [at] wal.hp.com  (soon to be changed due to new contract)