Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Architectural review of landscaping

[Michael Barrett (mbarrett]

I will add to John Beutler's mail about the positive and facilitative mandate 
we have given our Design Review Team.  The mandate, at no point, includes the 
words allow, forbid, approve, disapprove, permit or deny.  The Team only acts 
to collect and organize community reaction and seek for mutual accomodation.  
Any disagreement that cannot readily be resolved is to be passed to a general 
business meeting to act upon community-wide opinion.  In my recollection this 
has never happened. 
To help the Team maintain their objectivity a completed checklist is requested 
of "applicants", to be completed after the recommended informal "talking to the 
neighbors".  The checklist form is reproduced below and is, if felt useful, 
free to copy. 

Michael Barrett
Liberty Village Cohousing 
Maryland.


      Checklist from: _______________________ For: 
_____________________________________

      Date: ________________
     
      Description of change or addition. Sketches, dimensioned plans, elevation 
drawings, real or simulated pictures


     
     
      What is the reason for the proposal? Who will benefit?

     
     
      Impact on the community at large - considering young, old, handicapped or 
impaired?
       
      Impact on immediate neighbors - Do they agree with proposal?

       
      Impact outside the community


       
      Aesthetic: Appearance, noise & odor during construction and when complete.

      
      Traffic: effect upon vehicle, bicycle, pedestrian adult, child & animal 
traffic patterns.
       
      Effect of 2 to 5 years on growth, decay, utility, maintenance

       
      Initial cost: Estimate made, to be paid by?


       
      Ongoing maintenance costs: Estimate made, to be paid by?

       
      Implementation and schedule issues - who will do the work, when, are they 
appropriately qualified?
       
      List safety hazards, during construction and when complete.

       
      Environmental hazards to air & soil, animal & plant life, during 
construction and when complete.
       
      Liability: personal & community