Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: RE: Coho & LIFESTYLE CHANGES--> Sustainability?

[Mmariner (Mmariner]

Rob Sandelin, you said,

>Joint economic ventures are an interesting ideal but which seems to be 
>lacking. Perhaps the high level of mortgages in most cohousing communities
>prohibits this. My neighbors who have mortgages carry payments in excess of
>$1,000 a month.  

So what happens when homeowners at Sharingwood get laid off? As high-flying
as Microsoft is, I see some danger signs that they may be missing some key
trends, like Wang Labs did in the '80's.   I don't mean to be alarmist, but
the economy isn't going to be rosy forever.  Even the hardcore optimists know
that.  

I'd suggest lifestyle changes to make your site more sustainable.  How about
if some of the homes are remodeled or added on to have apartments attached so
that those mortgage payments would be split among more incomes.  They could
be rented to folks who have similar talents and skills or ones that
complement what homeowners do, so that you have a mini-village among those
gorgeous trees at Sharingwood.

My sense is that when you start business endeavors together the sharing
you've seen of tools and resources will multiply many fold, and your
relationships will grow as well.

MikeM