Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: The Elio

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Sep 1, 2014, at 12:02 AM, melanie griffin <melgrif [at] gmail.com> wrote:

>  One question that was left open was whether one needs a
> motorcycle license to drive it, which was not even raised in the latest ad
> and seems pretty critical. I agree, this latest site was pretty minimal.

I had to click through on lots of links, but if they publish details they later 
change, they have legal liabilities since they are accepting investments. They 
have to be careful what they promise. The long list of legal conditions that 
you agree to before you hit the go button is very detailed on what they are 
_not_ promising. All investments are risks.

The classification as a motorcycle varies by state. Each state has different 
regulations. They are working state by state to get those changed. I don't know 
what the advantages are of NOT being considered motorcycle, except in some 
states you would have to wear a helmet.

This is what cohousing groups have had to do as well. Get zoning changed in 
places they wanted to build. I think that process has sometimes been hard but 
usually successful when people show up to hearings with clothes on and not 
smoking anything.

But one problem is attracting attention. I had one of the new Beetles and it 
was actually hard. Everyone wanted to tell the story of their old Beetle. If I 
parked it on the street, when I returned there would be a group of people 
standing around the car. Sometimes I went to have coffee or walked around the 
block until they left. 

Cohousing also had to do this. I thought I would go crazy in 2000 when everyone 
wanted to know what we were. And everyone's relatives had to visit and look at 
us. For years whenever a new person came they would have a dinner. We ended up 
answering questions all during the meal. 

At one of our cookouts, one couple had two other couples visiting. They all sat 
around one table in the middle of the piazza just looking at everyone. Like it 
was a floor show.

Fortunately that happens far less often now.

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