Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: the dark days

[MartyR707 (MartyR707]

In a message dated 12/30/00 8:16:08 PM, Tonka444 [at] aol.com writes:
>
>Also, any inspiring stories of the dark times right before site acquisition
>might help our group and others in this difficult stage.
>

Oh, I can do that!  We had a couple years at least of dark days.  We went 
through three sites before finding one that worked.  I was amazed at the 
tenacity of all of us sticking it out through all that (and some didn't), but 
I knew that was what was going to make us a good community.  I was on the 
land search committee and it looked absolutely impossible to find a suitable 
site in this very popular county that was fairly well built in.  The trick 
was being able to shift our parameters.  We had been looking for a 5 acre 
site to build about 25 units and had overlooked a two acre site in 
Sebastopol - the town we most wanted to live in.

Someone found it and asked us all to look.  I was one that was sure that was 
too small, but I looked and instantly fell in love with the lovely sloping 
parcel with an oak woodland at the top and walking distance to town, the 
park, the pool, etc.

So we scaled down and agreed to do 14 units - the max that the zoning would 
allow ( and that part was not easy either).  It was still a few more anxious 
rollercoastery years after that before we moved in.  (Lots of long stories)  
But we're here - almost a year and a half now and planning our New Year's Eve 
party in the common house - amazing!

so, the message is - Hang in there!  It can be done and just takes a 
committed tenacious community-loving group of people - if you have the right 
people, you'll find a way.  But be patient.....

Marty Roberts
Two Acre Wood, Sebastopol, CA