Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: COHOUSING-L digest 522

[REUER,JOHN PHILLIP,MR (BNZ3]

In response to Buzz Burrel's post re: affordability,

The CoHousing journal has covered affordability and related topics in
the following issues:
Spring 94 p.4 "Creating Affordable Communities"
Spring 94 p.18 "Design Coalition Surveys the Field: Part 2"
Fall 94 p. 19 "Factors Affecting Land Cost"
Summer 93 p.8 "Developer Driven Cohousing: If We Build It, Will They
               Come?"
Spring 92 p.6 "Cities and Counties Give Cohousing A Lift"

I also understand the upcoming issue will focus on affordability.

Affordability is hard to define. I've researched several definitions and
they all tend to be flawed. The most precise definitions are too
complicated, and the rule of thumb ones are too crude. The original
definition is that one week's pay in four should cover the cost of
housing; it comes from turn of the century Boston, I believe, and
refers to the housing conditions of working class immigrants. This
definition has more-or-less stuck, recently being increased to 30%.
Therefore if you spend 30% of your income or less on mortgage, insurance
taxes, utilities, etc.(or rent plus utilities) then you are not
considered to being experiencing an affordability crisis. Anyway I don't
think we really need the definition to know that there's a problem here.

As far as your observation that cohousing is not affordable goes, I tend
to agree, but there are communities which do include low and moderate-
income owners. (For definition lovers, low is less than 80% of median
income and moderate is 80 to 120% of median income.) Pioneer Valley has
10 affordable units, out of a total 32. Southside Park has affordable
units for 5 low-income households and 7 moderate income households.
Common Ground, through very significant subsidies, has all of their(21)
units affordable. And let's not forget N Street, which is probably the
most affordable cohousing, (I'm guessing.)

Thanks,

John-Phillip Reuer