Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: development questions--again

[Rod Lambert (rod]

Sherri,
It is wise to bring in experienced people to help you. I don't know what the 
rate of forming cohousing group success is at the moment but I suspect, for 
this area, it is at best 1 in 6. Experience/skills can cut that down 
significantly although nothing is a certainty. (I have heard that there have 
been at least two groups that have folded in Rochester so far.)
I use the word experience advisedly as hiring just any design and/or management professional will not necessarily prove to be a wise choice. I would strongly suggest that with a forming group it would be wise to get people with group dynamics and development management skills, preferably specific to Coho groups, first. Getting a realistic handle on possible locations and expected rough costs fairly early helps remove some group-shattering surprises. Having a lawyer, a local construction manager, and accountant join the group would be a nice bonus too. 

Rod Lambert
Village Green Develpment
Development Manager and Design Coordinator for:
EcoVillage at Ithaca - SoNG

and for a new EcoVillage in Danby south of Ithaca called 
White Hawk  where we are on track to meet our target of "fielding" 
a two bedroom home for ~100k total cost this spring  -  on the web at WhiteHawk.org

..........................................

Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 08:00:27 -0500
From: "sredies1 [at] rochester.rr.com" <sredies1 [at] rochester.rr.com>
Subject: [C-L]_ development questions--again
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Message-ID: <380-220061143013027802 [at] M2W005.mail2web.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Hello all,

I am part of the forming Rochester Group and have been reading archives and
asking individuals (cohousing and local planners/architects) many questions
about the development process.  Here is a question that I would appreciate
hearing thoughts on:  One cohousing group I spoke with is using a
development model that includes a project manager, general contractor, and
architect as their primary development team.  Is this approach the same as
what is typically called "self-development"? Or would this type of team
have enough professional expertise to avoid the pitfalls of
self-development that have been described on this list.  From what I
understand, this type of model can be less expensive than having the usual
partnership with a developer. 

Our group understands the value of having experienced professionals who can
oversee the project (help keep it in budget), permitting, and handle many
of the development type decisions/tasks, etc.  Can a project manager/GC
handle this as capably as a developer?  

Thanks for your patience in answering yet another development question. 
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Shari Rediess
Rochester NY