Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Maintaining Momentum

[Diane Simpson (dsimpson]

Stephanie Doss of Mosaic Commons Cohousing wrote:

>I got the assignment to ask you guys - How do you maintain momentum when it
>seems like your goal is *so* far away?  :)

Stephanie, it's very important to realize that "momentum" in and of itself
is not enough.  Any group can continue to have meetings and continue to
accrue members.  The important thing is to focus in on a site early on in
the game and start building your membership based on that location.  If you
don't, you will lose members as fast as you gain them.

Building cohousing in the suburbs of Massachusetts is incredibly difficult
because of the snob zoning laws.  I am wondering if you wouldn't be better
off hooking up with one of the already-planned affordable housing
developments that are being built under chapter 40B and making your
cohousing community part of one of those.

It's true that you wouldn't get to design everything from scratch and have
a custom-designed cohousing neighborhood.  But if you can't find a way to
oversome the zoning restrictions and aquire a piece of land, you won't have
a project at all.

--Diane Simpson

P.S.  I hope you will attend the workshop I have organized, (#A-60)
"Building Cohousing: A Nuts and Bolts Approach" at Build Boston on Tuesday
November 13 at 4 p.m. at the World Trade Center.  I am sending out
postcards to the entire Boston Society of Architects mailing list, The Blue
Book list of Builders & Contractors; I ran an ad in "Multifamily Trends,"
and will be running another ad in "Banker & Tradesman."  I hope to have a
wide cross section of architects, builders, developers and cohousers at
this event.












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