Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Unprogrammed suites

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

On Oct 24, 2012, at 3:17 PM, Beverly Jones Redekop wrote:
> 
> We paid a lot of money for the workshop to determine the number of units in
> our community, and, as someone who sold her single family home to create
> something wonderful with like-minded individuals, I feel threatened by
> people who cheerfully ignore the agreements we created.  I valued the
> autonomy in my single-family home to create and maintain beauty, peace, and
> order for my family; I thought cohousing would be a civilized and safe
> place to co-create beauty, peace, and order while having fun and being
> connected.


You might want to convey exactly this sentiment  to your community to begin a 
conversation about agreements, trust, commitment, etc.  It may be a very long 
conversation, it may be a rocky conversation ... but that's what is possible in 
cohousing that's not possible in standard living situations.  While you may 
start at this point of contention you may find yourself in a richer, fuller 
living situation in the end.  It's scary to start down this road.  You will 
likely not get what you want now if the basement is already finished. You will 
likely get something else.  The results may be worth it.

I suspect you are versed in Compassionate Communication from the way you wrote 
this paragraph. I'm also a practioner when I can breathe before immediately 
responding.  Not easy!!  Do you have some support within your community or 
elsewhere that can help you?

Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church VA
703-688-2646

> 
> 
> 
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
>          Beverly Jones Redekop
> 
>    beverly.jones.redekop [at] gmail.com
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> 
> On Wed, Oct 24, 2012 at 4:40 AM, Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net> 
> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> Hello Beverly -- I don't know what Canadian law or local law requires but
>> here in the U.S. in my jurisdiction and surrounding areas The Declaration
>> in the condo docs specifies what the project is and what will be built e.g.
>> 
>> 1.43 acre site
>> 1 attached building containing
>> 43 homes w/ shared walls single roof
>> etc. etc.
>> 
>> It would be impossible to add another unit w/out a change in The
>> Declaration.
>> 
>> While By-laws can be changed with some effort, The Declaration is almost
>> impossible to change.  Do your legal documents contain something of this
>> nature?
>> 
>> One other important thing ... how are the common expenses calculated for
>> your community?  Is any part of the condo fee (are you are condo BTW?) or
>> shared expenses calculated using square footage?   If people are
>> refinishing or adding space and square footage is in the algorithm
>> calculating the monthly fee this should change the household's monthly fee.
>> Also by building out more inhabitable space, the entire development would
>> be gaining square footage of the built environment and that additional
>> square footage would change the percentage interest of the household in the
>> whole development.
>> 
>> Actions have consequences.  Start messing w/ this stuff ... it gets really
>> complicated and maybe even illegal --  after all your project is a contract
>> w/ the municipality that gave you the right to build on this site.  Did the
>> household in question go through any kind of permitting process to add this
>> basement?
>> 
>> Maybe I don't have the whole picture here and I'm not a zoning or
>> construction specialist.  And I certainly don't know anything about
>> Canadian law.  Just some things to consider.
>> 
>> The bigger issue you may have is having people in your community simply
>> making decisions on their own about the built environment and its impact on
>> the community as a whole.
>> 
>> Best --
>> 
>> Ann Zabaldo
>> Takoma Village Cohousing
>> Washington, DC
>> Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
>> Falls Church VA
>> 703-688-2646
>> 
>> On Oct 24, 2012, at 5:15 AM, R Philip Dowds wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Your condominium or HOA Bylaws should have something to say about
>> additions, renovations, subdivisions and other modifications of each
>> dwelling unit — something like Yes, No, or Maybe If, depending on the scope
>> and nature of the modification.  Do your Bylaws allow for running a
>> for-profit enterprise out of one's basement?  Rental real estate OK?  What
>> about a psychoanalyst's office?  Your local zoning, and/or the special
>> permit you may have received, could also govern what happens in this
>> basement.
>>> 
>>> On Oct 24, 2012, at 2:02 AM, Beverly Jones Redekop <
>> beverly.jones.redekop [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> .
>>>> 
>>>> It seems that one owner may be proceeding with a basement suite in his
>>>> townhouse. The suite's entrance would be through the home's backyard
>> (20'
>>>> deep backyards).
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Thank you,
>>>> Beverly
>>>> 
>>>> Groundswell Cohousing at Yarrow Ecovillage
>>>> Yarrow (Chilliwack), BC, Canada
>>>> _________________________________________________________________
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
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