Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: site location/size and children (was Households to Adults Ratios)

[Sharon Villines (sharonvillines]

> here's my question - do you see a relationship between your location/site
> size and the number of children in the community?

No. I don't have great experience and others on the list do but what little
I have indicates that the site is not the issue. Before moving to Takoma
Village I was working with Synergy in Florida. It was the same apartment and
townhouse mix but on a larger lot in a more suburban neighborhood. We had
the same difficulty attracting families with chidren.

The biggest issue for families with children is time available, timing, and
school system. School system may be the hardest of those to supply. If  you
have that, you can overcome the other two.

For families cohousing is a Catch 22. They have the most to gain in many
ways but 1) have no time for all the meetings and 2) need to know when this
will happen. They are usually bound by timelines they can't control. They
need another bedroom NOW. The kids start school in SEPTEMBER, not whenever.
The kids start school THIS YEAR not two years from now. Once kids are in
school, it is much harder to move them.

School is the major factor influencing families with children.

Families that are balancing two careers, a house, two cars, three kids, one
school, one pet, variable interest rates, a religious affiliation, and two
soccer teams cannot come to weekly meetings in the evenings or Saturdays for
5 years. Ain't going to happen. Rare households can handle it but not many.

For groups forming, it is the same Catch 22. You can't guarantee dates until
families commit so you can start construction. So, my best guess is that if
you want families:

1. Choose a site in a good school district.
2. Work with an experienced developer so you have at least half a chance of
getting constructed on some kind of predictable schedule.
3. Don't build your community around meetings. Find other ways to discuss
and share information.
4. Include units large enough for 3-4 bedrooms, still affordable, with
ground entrances (A convenience for those carrying babies and two year olds
but a necessity if 8 year olds are to be able to run in and out without
bothering anyone and get their bikes and scooters in and out without
damaging the elevator walls).

Sharon
-- 
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
Where the wonderful chili-pepper smells of Thursday night's meal have
eradicated the smell of construction in the commonhouse.

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