Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Inclusionary Zoning and Assessments

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On 20 Jul 2012, at 8:56 AM, Catya Belfer wrote:

> (And yes, we have 5 of these homes for sale still, because the window
> between the income limit and what you need to earn to qualify for a
> mortgage is VERY SMALL, and it's hard to get the folks who qualify to
> qualify for mortgages at all in today's climate.)

A forming and failed group in Florida also found that people could only be 
qualified AFTER the homes were built and offered on the open market. Thus a 
household could participate in the group for 2+ years and then not qualify. 
Plus, the requirement that the homes be offered on the open market made the 
group queasy since they couldn't necessarily educate potential buyers.

People in the past have suggested legislation to change the relationship 
between cohousing and affordability requirements. I initially found this to be 
a long and improbable journey but as a challenge it would be a fun thing to do 
if there are people out there who would like to begin working on language. I 
have a friend who got the historic preservation legislation passed. It takes 
persistence and attention to detail and problem solving.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org