Cohousing-L Mailing List: Making the big decision/Cornerstone

[Judy (BAXTER%EPIHUB]

on FRi, 12 May 1995 
(David G Adams) wrote from Cornerstone:

-Our consultants / architects believe we need to put about 40 units on the 
-site in order to make it meet the group's pricing requirements.  This would 
-make us the densest group in the country, I believe [double meaning 
-intended], with approximately .01 acre / person.  

        Sounds like a very large group to me - I'd be cautious about the numbers
more than the density, IF people want to/are willing to live that close.  The
density wouldn't bother me, but then I grew up in apartment houses.

-We have made an offer on this site and should hear from the owner any day 
-now.  We rushed through a consensus call at the end of a meeting that was 
-1/2 hour already past the scheduled end, which allowed our new Development 
-Mgmt committee to prepare and submit the offer.  The only other "vote" on 
-the site had 5 households excited about the site, 8 with reservations, 8 
-with serious reservations, and 1 full member holding a red card [ I wasn't 
-there; I think it was more of a "stand aside" than a "block consensus".  The 
--2 full member households there, including mine, would have added "serious 
-reservations" votes.]

        I agree with whoever wrote, end of a meeting is a very bad time for 
such a
crucial decision.  You need to know how much strong support there is to go
forward, and ends of meetings, people are fried.

-Some people  want to move on this site just to make sure the group doesn't fade
-away  never deciding on a site.  Others think we are dooming ourselves to burn
-out  if we move now.  Is Neil Young right?  We've got some people 
-suburb-oriented, some more urban focused.  The new site's prices are  projected
-to be comparable to the old site overall, but the low end prices  are
-significantly higher (2 BR for $155K, for example) and some people would  have
-to drop out for economic reasons.  BTW, these prices are comparable to  the
-local luxury condo apartment buildings.

        I also worry about burnout. Can't tell how much support you really have.
You will need people willing to give up some of their dreams in order tomake it
work - that's  true in most cases, I think, but definitely in what you
describe. 

-The group will lose somewhere between 2 and 10 of the 
--17 full members if we go ahead.  If we don't go ahead (or the owner accepts 
-a different offer; developers may be bidding on the site) we have no idea 
-what we'll do next, and the group may or may not cut its losses and say 
-goodnight.
        I'd say the 1st sentence here is critical.  And give time for 
discussion,
reflection.
Let us know how it comes out.


Judy Baxter, Monterey Cohousing Community, (MoCoCo)
Twin Cities Area, Minneapolis/St.Paul Minnesota
e-mail: baxter [at] epivax.epi.umn.edu

Getting close to final prices and construction loan - and feeling like
developers!  Scared!

other mail:     2925 Monterey Ave So,  St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Twin Cities CoHousing Network Voice Mail  612-930-7580
 Voice Mail for Monterey Cohousing - 612-930-7554
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