Cohousing-L Mailing List: unit selection priority - a different view

[Don Flick (don]

Sounds like seniority is the prevailing model.

Here's a somewhat different scenario from River Rock Commons
(Fort Collins, CO).

We had strong support for:

1)  "Let's see how much overlap there is in people's choices,
rather than assume there will be a considerable amount."
See NOTE below.

2)  "Let's resolve the overlapping choices by working together"
(those who want the same unit further elaborating on the factors
involved for them, the relative weight of those factors, careful
listening to one another, etc.)

3)  "This is an important, early experience that can have 
much significance in defining who we are.  Let's put forward
the extra trust needed for a process that de-emphasizes
competition and priviledge."

One member of our group who had been involved from the
very beginning was quite anxious to have a particular unit,
thought there was at least one other person who wanted the
same unit, and did not want to take any risk of not getting it.

So we pursued a main strategy consistent with 1, 2, and 3 above,
with a backup strategy based on a combination of factors
that assured the one member's choice.

The results?

1)  There were not many "overlaps".

2)  The "overlaps" that did exist were easily resolved,
in a fun and cooperative way.

3)  We did not need the backup strategy.  In fact, there
wasn't even any "overlap" involving the unit that the one
person was so keen on.


NOTE:  During the site design process, Katie McCamant frequently
asked for a show of preferences to verify that we were spreading
the "desirability" around, and not concentrating it in one place.

Wonderland, the developer, created and our Finance Team fine-
tuned a schedule of premiums that adjusted the price of units
based on factors that were regarded as clearly favorable or not
so favorable.

After the process described above, new members chose their
units on a "first come, first served" basis, selecting, of course,
from among the remaining unsold units.  That did not go 100%
smoothly.  At one point, there were hard feelings around a family
reserving a unit, but not acting "quickly enough"; and then losing
the reservation on "their" unit.