Cohousing-L Mailing List: Forming a new group and getting started

[jtlondon [at] earthlink.net (jtlondon]

My spouse and I just participated in an all-day tour of cohousing in the
greater San Francisco Bay Area.  We have been interested in cohousing for a
while, there are rarely vacancies in cohousing in our area, and we just
decided to take the plunge in the following manner.  At the end of the
tour, all of those who were interested in trying to create and eventually
live in cohousing in our area met to talk.  We plan to meet in a week and
have a potluck (of course) and begin more substantive discussion.  We would
like to learn from others' successes and mistakes.

The area in which we all need or want to live -- the East Bay of the San
Francisco Bay Area -- is crowded and urban, and housing prices are high.
Unfortunately, I know for my family, and I assume for others in the group,
that we are not able to move to a less crowded and expensive area, so we at
least want to give our best try in this area.  Our biggest obstacle will
probably be finding a lareg enough site.  I understand that another group
tried unsuccessfully a few years ago to find a site in this area (called
East Bay Cohousing) and eventually decided to stop looking.  We will try to
speak with them about their experience.  At this point I am guessing that
we will consider finding a vacant site, a site with buildings or a building
that could be remodeled or added to, or a site with a building or buildings
in bad shape that we would tear down before building something new.  I have
read what I can find about retrofitting, and wonder if anyone has any
advice on finding a place to build in an expensive urban area.

I also want to ask about good sources for advice on getting a group going
in a reasonably efficient manner.  So far we have spoken to a couple
veteran cohousers in our area, and will continue to do so.  One piece of
advice was that we soon have members contribute financially, so we can
start making real commitments.  The suggestion was $150 or so to begin
with, so we can open a bank account and cover research expenses.  Another
suggestion was that we find a good group process person and have them work
with us regularly on conflict management and resolution.

I'd appreciate any suggestions, or being directed to any resources we
should know about in addition to this list, the national association, and
basic cohousing literature.

Thanks!
Bridget
Albany (just north of Berkeley), California


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