Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: The "lot" development model

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

My future neighbor Martin wrote:

>Of course, cohousing groups could be organized around the purchase of 
the land,
>leaving the houses to be the responsibility of each family, within certain
>architectural guidelines, and on no particular schedule.  Sharingwood was
>organized this way.

I would point out that there are 4 other cohousing groups organized, or 
are organizing this way in my area and it seems to be attractive, based 
on the high number of sold units.  Having freedom to design and build 
your own home, to meet your own financial needs and personal tastes is 
a large attraction - we have gained a couple of members from other 
groups because of this.  It is also much much easier  for a group to 
design lots than to design houses. (I think - maybe after we have 
finished the phase 2 site design I won't think that anymore.)

The difficult part of this form of development is ensuring adequate 
capital or other energy to develop the common elements, especially the 
commonhouse.  Sharingwood was able to buy and develop our land in such 
a way that all the money coming from the sales of the second phase goes 
to building common elements. We did this by phasing in development over 
time, for example, we built 5 houses and had 13 committed members 
before we paved the road.  We each paid $2,000 into a trust fund for a 
future commonhouse and used that trust fund to give loans to members 
who could not pay special development assessments right up front.  Of 
the other 4 groups doing this model in our area, 2 are somewhat small 
and 3 of the groups have not figured out how to build a commonhouse.  I 
am somewhat concerned that they will not be able to build a commonhouse 
at all and that is a bad situation which would very much effect those groups.

I would encourage those groups who go to the lot model of development 
to focus your planning and design around a commonhouse first, a then 
design and build houses around it.

Rob Sandelin
Sharingwood