Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: so is it cohousing? Richdale Place in Cambridge, MA

[Chris ScottHanson (chris]

A deeper, more interesting question might be - Why is a cohouser, and  
an experienced cohousing developer, now doing a developer driven  
project that may or may not actually chose to be cohousing?

Chris

On Feb 7, 2007, at 5:47 PM, Raines Cohen wrote:

> http://www.richdaleplace.com/
>
> 3 stories, 20 units. Under construction, framed, built enough for
> site tours by last November. 2008 occupancy?
>
> It's virtually nextdoor to Cambridge Cohousing, being developed by
> Cambridge Cohousing's developer (and resident) Gwendolyn Noyes. It's
> developer-driven, with community-building as part of the process,
> developer-sponsored monthly meetings of future residents with a
> trained facilitator, training investment, etc.
>
>   It links to http://www.cohousing.org/ but doesn't explicitly
> reference cohousing, no, wait, they do get explicit in one spot:
> > Background for Community:
> >
> > Richdale Place is the latest in a growing number of condominium
> > residences that Oaktree Development has created especially to be
> > community-oriented. It is one of our primary corporate goals to
> > design projects which enable people to enjoy the benefits of
> > neighborliness within an urban condominium dwelling. American
> > mobility fosters what is often not a natural or happy lifestyle. In
> > response to the sense of isolation some people experience, a new
> > form of housing, called Cohousing, has become popular. In
> > Cohousing, a group comes together with the intention of finding a
> > site, designing, and then building a community. This takes enormous
> > dedication and a long time, and many people who are otherwise
> > attracted to such a friendly and natural way of life don't have the
> > time to give to the endeavor. It's being represented by a realtor.
> So is this modern fast-track cohousing for busy people who don't want
> to take the time to develop it from scratch?
>
> Here's what's listed for common amenities:
>
> > In addition, there are unique, community-enhancing spaces to be
> > enjoyed by the residents:
> > a sunny, furnished living-dining room with a fireplace and space
> > for a piano;
> > a fully-applianced kitchen adjacent to the dining room;
> > a sunny, common area patio accessed directly from the common living
> > room;
> > a meeting room/library with adjacent bathroom which converts
> > without effort into…
> > a comfortable guest room
> > a package delivery room off the main entry allowing secure delivery
> > of FEDEX, UPS, etc, without the receiver having to be home.
> > an unprogrammed, finished, windowed space that can be an office,
> > workroom, fitness area or storage, depending upon residents’
> > preference
> > a roof deck/garden that has elevator access, sunny exposure all
> > day, sunset views
>
> I couldn't glean enough from the sketches and views to determine how
> pedestrian-oriented it will be, but with parking below
>
> My answer would be "yes"... what's yours?
>
>   I'd be very curious about how it gets marketed, whether they do
> outreach to cohousing channels, and whether they get into common
> meals right from the get-go.
>
> Raines
> in mourning for the parent of a friend involved in the cohousing
> movement
>
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