Cohousing-L Mailing List: Not cohousing but very large home seeking shared community in Berkeley (CA)

[Raines Cohen (rc3-coho-L]

I just posted a longer version of this to East Bay Cohousing, as our
over-2100-member regional MeetUp group includes people priced out of
homeownership and individual rentals in the expensive San Francisco Bay
Area, so we use a "big tent" approach to fostering sustainable cooperative
community living.

I thought some other cohousing fans would be interested in the model, as
well as taking a moment to appreciate the dynamics for how something like
this would be different (members don't gain any equity and have to share
much more than cohousers do.. and have the landlord-tenant and inter-group
dynamics to deal with) .... and to consider whether this approach could
work to convert the mega-mansions present in other parts of the country
that have gotten overbuilt and conventional cohousing approaches/financing
aren't currently feasible.

You can read the full post and see the links and tour dates at:
http://www.ebcoho.org/

Raines
 fresh off the plane from Iceland, looking forward to this week's
Complementary Currencies conference at The Hague and visiting European
cohousing neighborhoods
---

I got to visit the Dwight Mansion recently and we have been following this
house's potential for shared community living for a while (two years ago we
hosted some visits and evaluated its cohousing potential) and are impressed
with the potential to build community there.

Just to be totally clear, we are not representing the owner or any
particular group looking to move into the house, we are just doing what we
always do, helping our members create and find opportunities for shared
living in the East Bay.

We will be publicizing this opportunity far and wide, because it represents
the best example we've seen in a decade of what so many of EBCOHO's over
2100 members are seeking.

Betsy & Raines
Your Cohousing Coaches, East Bay Cohousing
http://www.CohousingCoaches.com/
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HOSTED TOURS AND INFORMATION ABOUT 1545 DWIGHT WAY, BERKELEY

Come see this central Berkeley 14-bedroom 1883 Victorian mansion being
remodeled by EBCOHO Supporting member Jen Siegel, with a separate lofted
apartment and 3,000-square-foot yard.

The house is three stories, with the following features:
- First floor: large kitchen, two living rooms, an enclosed porch, two full
bathrooms, two bedrooms, and a back deck leading out to the yard;
- Second floor: seven bedrooms, a studio or office space, a kitchenette,
one and a half bathrooms, and a back deck leading down to the yard;
- Third floor: converted attic space with five bedrooms, a kitchenette, one
bathroom, and a rear deck leading down to the yard. Multiple skylights on
the third floor provide wonderful light and views.

Additional gathering spaces are scattered throughout the house, and
additional bathrooms are planned for future development. A large garage is
available for storage, and the house will be heated by a new radiant
heating system.

Currently under renovation but scheduled to be move-in ready by September,
this house will be leased to a group of renters demonstrating strong group
leadership, solid finances, and sustainable principles.