Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Development Phase of $ Commitment to Cohousing

[Fred H Olson (fholson]

B Eli Fishpaw (Architect) <elitalking [at] rockbridge.net>
is the author of the message below.  It was posted by
Fred, the Cohousing-L list manager <fholson [at] cohousing.org>

The attachment is here:
http://l.cohousing.org/NewUrbanNews-16-4.pdf
--------------------  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS --------------------

Thanks for responses to my message.  As an architect, I prefer to work for a
group prior to developing a design.  The group gives form to the priorities.
I am looking to serve your group if you live desire community in Virginia.
The challenge of starting a cohousing group is to become a community of
shared values sufficient to determine some of those priorities that becomes
the basis for a design program.  My experience with my clients is that the
program becomes further defined by the issues raised by the design process
itself.

In the early stages, a community needs funds sufficient to retain an option
on candidate site such that further design studies can take place to
evaluate the potential of the site to meet the needs and develop a
preliminary budget to define what would be financially required from
candidate households. If the studies result in a thumbs down, start the
process again.  I take my hat off to those of you that have taken on the
responsibility and have developed into a cohousing community.

My associates are attempting to identify assets that have the potential to
be developed into cohousing.  20%+- down payment is the new lending reality.
Though there is shortage of money flowing in our economy, it is never the
case that there is a shortage of work.  We have landowners that are
interested in getting value out of their land.  There are design
professionals like myself that desire to define the solution and earn a
living.  Since these kinds of cost are what the loan is normally spent on,
if we are willing to put our time and land at risk, this becomes the down
payment for the construction loan. In exchange for these risks, we get an
extra return on our investments that are comparable to the costs of
borrowing all the money to pay these costs.

My desire is to earn a living in a way that transforms to a long term
sustainable community.  The 5000sf custom home for an affluent couple is not
what we need.  Though sustainable is a word that has been abused recently, I
think is useful to repeat the definition.  Sustainable 1. Able to be
maintained at a certain rate or level.  2. (esp. of development,
exploitation, or agriculture) Conserving an ecological balance by avoiding
depletion of natural resources. Revisiting our settlement patterns is the
biggest opportunity we have to actually achieve sustainability.
Re-urbanizing into villages and cities with pedestrian friendly alternatives
to the automobile with local foods options can go a long way to achieving
that standard.  Add to that the new knowledge on energy efficiency and
renewable energy, we have the potential to achieve this standard.

 We are at a pivotal moment in our history.  The post war trend towards
suburbia and private residences has peaked and is now in decline. Though the
mortgage shenanigans sparked the adjustment, there are underlying
demographics that make it unlikely that the single home expansion will
return.  Attached is a study by the New Urban Institute that I find quite
compelling.  Of the 80 % of 65 and older people the move out of single
family homes, only 40% move back into single family homes.  This well
established trend will result in an over stock of single family and shortage
of pedestrian friendly multiple family residences when the elder pulse of
baby boomers grow into that age demographic.  Peak oil, climate change and
limits to growth give additional impetus towards urban infill and cluster
housing types. In spite of the growing pains for those of us in the
construction industry, it would be a great outcome if we are able to use
this moment to achieve a settlement pattern that allows us community,
health, comfort, and not be required to draw down resources that can not be
replaced.

The groups that are formed are primarily for the purpose of developing a
residential community for the members.  Once that is achieved, the job is
done for those people.

What we are working on is identifying the multiple parties that can profit
from developing cohousing in order to make it more repeatable with less up
front risk for the member households.  We would like to work with specific
groups if we can find each other.  We are developing resources in the
Virginia communities of Lexington, Charlottesville, Fairfield, and Abingdon.
None of these initiatives have reached the critical mass of development.
However, meeting the eventual occupants would be a great benefit.  If you
are forming a group that has the flexibility to locate in these areas,
please give me a call to discuss the possibilities.

B Eli Fishpaw (Architect)
540-464-6778