Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: common house use

[Karen Schwalbe (kschwalbe]

-----Original Message-----
>> But no. Last night's discussion circle on common house uses left me
>> tense. A year in, we are using our beautiful CH well for meals, socials,
>> personal parties, meetings of members' groups. Yet it is often empty -
>> all day many days, plus several evenings a week.

I am just catching up on my e-mail and thought I'd add my two cents to this
thread.  We (Alchemy Farm, Cape Cod, Mass) do allow commercial-type use by
two of our members.  We are a lot development model with ~10,000 sq ft lots
and a retrofitted barn with >6,000 sq ft of heated space, not including
storage and workshop space.  One of our amenities is a large meeting
room/auditorium which was converted from a grotty old rug on subflooring to
a beautiful hardwood dance floor by one of the members to use for a dance
studio.

Our liability insurance allows it. Our tax-status also allows it.  We squeak
by on the zoning issue as the town planning board allows us to use the
common house as an extension of any home-based business.  We have adequate
parking.

A second member uses it as a yoga studio.  Combined use of the two venues is
six days a week, afternoons and evenings for one section of the building
(probably 900 sq ft of the total).  We use the common house for craft
nights, guest rooms, food coop, laundry, potlucks, study groups, an a
capella singing group, spontaneous parties and not enough ping pong.  We are
a small community (14 potential households, but not all built) and have some
physical distance from the common house.

All that being said, it is difficult at times, but usually okay.  I am the
most bothered by it, since I live closest to the common house.  Our design
doesn't allow for enough distinction between public space and community
spaces.  With some time, money and effort we can and plan to improve this.
Our playfield can feel like a public playground and sometimes I don't want
to have to say "hi" as I go to the common house to do my laundry.  My
cohousing friends who live here understand that dynamic, but friends who
have their children dancing at the studio usually want to chat.

We've been working on improving ground rules for all 'public' use of space
and some improved signage.  It is hard to get across the sense that the
common house is an extension of our homes, and not a truly public utility.

Karen

Alchemy Farm Cohousing
237 Hatchville Road
East Falmouth, MA 02536-4051




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