Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re:Boundaries, public paths

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

>- How many other Cohousing Communities have public pathways on their 
>property or immediately adjacent?
>- Have Cities required dedication of land for public use?
>- How safe is the Cohousing Community  from vandalism, theft, children 
>being at risk, without creating a fenced, gated community? None of us want 
>to barricade ourselves in and others out!
>- How do we identify un-authorized people on our property, given that the 
>public has easy access?
So much depends on what sort of environment you're in. At RoseWind, in 
Port Townsend Washington, we were asking the City to "vacate" (give up 
their easement on) a lot of street rights of way that crossed our 
property, so we could have a car-free center commons. Part of what we 
offered THEM, was a public walking path clear across our property 
(=several blocks). Which we have. We've had no problems except sometimes 
those who bike down a hilly part of the path to the possible hazard of 
pedestrians around the bend. Some school kids walk through, as the middle 
school is nearby, others walk dogs (we have signs saying leash and 
scoop), or take walks. There has never been vandalism, trash, theft, etc. 
We say hi to walkers as they pass.

But we live in a town of 8000 where many people do not lock their houses, 
cars, bicycles, etc. Our best security is that the paths and central 
field are visible from many people's homes, and there are always some 
people around. 

Having lived behind doors with four locks in cities, I am so happy to be 
able to live "unlocked" now! 

Lynn Nadeau, RoseWind Cohousing
Port Townsend Washington (Victorian seaport, music, art, nature)
http://www.rosewind.org
http://www.ptguide.com
http://www.ptforpeace.info (very active peace movement here- see our 
photo)