Cohousing-L Mailing List: Visiting CA this summer?

[MelaSilva (MelaSilva]

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation
If your plans for the summer include visiting cohousing communities - Welcome
to the club! Every year those of us who already live in community great and
meet many of you who want to know if this is a good choice for you. Those who
are already buying land and hiring architects come to see how we divide common
space from private space, where we put the compost pile, and whether our mail
boxes are inside or outside the common house. A few things to remember if you
are coming to visit:
* For those who have it, Email is easier and more convenient than phone tag.
It's cheaper, too. 
*  Some folks love to do tours, but some have already had bus loads of tours,
and are burned out. If one cannot accomodate you, try a different community.
* If you make an appointment for a tour, BE ON TIME! If you can't be on time,
call as soon as you know you will be late. We have full lives, and it is very
frustrating to hurry home from the market to great a visitor who arrives 2
hours later.
* Any "homework" you do will really pay off. Check out old issues of the
Journal and the web site before you come. You will ask better questions and
get more detailed answers. Some communities have copy machines, so that you
can make instant copies of chore lists, meal schedules, or whatever you think
will be of interest later.
* If you come to a common meal, offer to pay. Better yet, if you have time,
help clean up. It can be difficult to recruit tour guides, and seeing visitors
pitch in with the work helps everyone.  

California Cohousing 
Communities
Berkeley 
Sacramento Street
Mix of retrofit and new construction on 3/4 acre in the middle of Berkeley
Contact: Tom Lent <tLent [at] igc.apc.org> 
or Nina Falk 510/549-1155

Chico
Valley Oaks Village
28 homes on 5 acres, 2 miles from town
Contact: Ellen Galena 916/345-8521

Davis 
Muir Commons
First built from scratch cohousing 
community in the US. 26 homes on 3 acres. 
Common House 916/758-5202

N Street
Organically growing since 1989 by taking down fences between homes. 
Contact: Cheryl Farris <Member3987 [at] aol.com> 
or 916/753-8075

Emeryville
Doyle Street
12 loft style homes built in a former warehouse in a mixed use urban area
Contact: Dara Efron <darae [at] dnai.com>

Sacramento
Southside Park
Mixed income in downtown area. 
25 homes on 1.3 acres
Contact: Susan Scott <SaScott [at] Rcip.com> 
or 916/446-5066

THANKS!
Pam Silva
Southside Park
Sacramento CA