Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: which groups are co-ops?

[Odysseus Levy (odysseus]

Hi Lynn,

You might already know this, but your neighbor to the south, Winslow 
Cohousing, is a co-op. My understanding is that it is one of very few 
cohousing communities that are organized as a co-op.

There were really good reasons for forming as a coop at the time of 
development, but there also have been some drawbacks. The biggest one is 
that we are really, really limited in getting good bank loans. I was 
actually starting a task force to investigate whether it would make 
sense to switch to a condo association when we finally found a bank 
(National Coop Bank) that was willing to give us market price loans.

But if they have already determined to go as a coop (it would be 
interesting to hear why),  one of our members, Marci Burkel, could 
probably give them a lot of good advice. Email me directly and I will 
put you in contact with her.

By the way, the next NICA (Northwest Intentional Communites Association) 
gathering is going to be at RoseWind, so hopefully I will get a chance 
to meet you.

Odysseus
Winslow Cohousing
Bainbridge Island, WA

Lynn Nadeau wrote:

> I know most cohousing groups are not legally formatted as co-ops. Here 
> at RoseWind we're a nonprofit with a homeowners' association, others 
> are condos, etc. And I'm now working with a group here in Washington 
> State, to help develop their legal documents, and they are organized 
> as a co-op.
> Please chime in here to identify your cohousing, ecovillage, or other 
> intentional-community group, if you are a co-op (far enough along to 
> have legal documents - bylaws and the equivalent of CC&Rs etc). This 
> may be useful info for future list searchers.
> I'll then get in touch with you off list, to discuss your willingness 
> to share documents or advice. I need to learn anything that makes 
> co-op documents different from the ones I've already worked with.
> Thanks,
> Lynn Nadeau
> RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA
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