Cohousing-L Mailing List: Greetings from Monterey Bay, CA

[Carleolady (Carleolady]

Hello there,
On November 20, 1999, Chuck and Katie of The Cohousing Company are coming to 
the Monterey Peninsula, CA, to present the cohousing slide show at the 
Unitarian Universalist Church in Monterey.

(I'm going at this a bit bass-ackwards--don't really have a group yet but 
hope that this will generate a large response and at least a few other 
burning souls.)  

Housing costs are astronomical in this area--there is a moratorium on 
building due to the water (lack of) situation, very little land available 
even if there were water, and skyrocketing real estate prices.   The good 
news is that the former Fort Ord is now part of two different cities and 
there *is* water already allocated for previous army housing on Fort Ord.   
The city of Seaside is already building 400 new homes with the help of 
Kaufmann and Broad and is planning another 400 in another former Fort Ord 
Housing area.  Developers have not been chosen for this second site.  The 
time is NOW for cohousing.  Now or never, as I see it.

In preparing for the slide show I am checking out the "how-tos" at  
cohousing.com but was wondering if any of you all who have been through it 
all might have any suggestions/advice for me.   Also, those of you who have 
incorporated affordable housing into your cohousing communities, I'd like to 
hear how you did that, too.  Affordable housing is a very big issue around 
here (there isn't any) and if there were a way to use that as incentive to 
get people involved, it might improve our chances in the community.  Thanks 
in advance, kind people.

Elaine Bush
Carmel, CA