Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Age-restricted access to common house?

[Carol Agate (carolagate]

I don’t know the laws but most swimming pools have signs restricting access of 
children - usually under 12 - without an adult. Common house is quite a 
different matter and I think would be a problem. I sure don’t like it, and I’m 
not the most kid-friendly person.

Carol Agate 
Cornerstone 
Cambridge 


> On Dec 12, 2016, at 7:29 AM, Sue STIGLEMAN <sstigleman [at] bellsouth.net> 
> wrote:
> 
> 
> When I was researching the Fair Housing Act in response to a situation here, 
> I found quite a bit written about court cases that had determined that 
> age-based restrictions to common elements violate the Act.  The main 
> situation litigated was access to swimming pools.  The understanding that I 
> took away (which is definitely amateur and not authoritative) is that 
> age-based restrictions are not ok but ability-related ones are.  For example, 
> if you want to have a restriction on access to a swimming pool, it can be 
> based on swimming ability but not on age.  
> Has anyone in Cohousing land investigated this is any more formal way?  
> --sue
> Sue StiglemanWestwood CohousingAsheville, NC Sue Stigleman sstigleman [at] 
> bellsouth.net 828-989-9373
> 
> 
>      From: Liz Ryan Cole <lizryancole [at] me.com>
> To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org 
> Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2016 10:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Age-restricted access to common house?
> 
> 
> I hope people reply to this list with their answers.  I have not moved into 
> our cohousing community yet, but I am 
> a) the mother of 4 adult sons (and 4 grandchildren) and 
> b) am a veteran of collective living in my younger days,including when our 
> sons were children and
> c) am part owner of a hospitality business where families come with children 
> to stay in our cabins and swim in our pond.
> 
> The one thing I would add to this conversation is some perspective —  that if 
> a community is going to worry about kids, they will find that people aged 
> from 13 to 21 are going to find many more creative ways to get into trouble 
> than any 9 year old -  (said with much love and many happy memories).
> 
> I know perfectly well that if my 9 year old grandsons are quiet for 15 
> minutes, I am going to want to quietly check into what they are up to, and 
> that if there are three or four 15 year olds working together on a school 
> project, that I’d better be offering snacks, and wandering by on a regular 
> basis.  At the very least, a good argument for design that allows for spaces 
> for adults to work/read, etc. in the common house without being on top of the 
> kids who view the entire place as their home.
> 
> and if kids don’t follow the rules, shouldn’t the consequences be that they 
> lose privileges, not that all kids are penalized?  
> 
> :)  liz
> 
> 
> Liz Ryan Cole
> lizryancole [at] me.com
> Pinnacle Cohousing at Loch Lyme Lodge
> Lyme, NH
> Home 802.785.4124
> Work 802.831.1240
> Lodge 603-795-2141
> 
> I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a 
> desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
> ― E.B. White
> 
> On Dec 11, 2016, at 9:53 PM, Beverly Jones Redekop <beverly.jones.redekop 
> [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Just checking in: do any other cohousing communities exist where people
> under 13 are locked out of the common house, or are we the only one?
> 
> I have only heard from communities that allow people under 13 to use the
> common house quietly on their own.
> 
> The rule here requires a 12 year old to find an adult to provide continuous
> supervision if he wishes to read in the common house or play chess with
> another person who is, say, 9-12. It is not sufficient to have a parent
> check in every half hour.
> 
> I promise not to say judgemental things if you disclose that your community
> has similar rules. As a mother of responsible, considerate sons aged 9 and
> 12, I have heartache that my community has this rule, but perhaps I will
> feel less disappointed if I learn that this is a common type of rule.
> 
> Beverly
> Groundswell Cohousing at Yarrow Ecovillage
> Yarrow, BC, Canada
> 
> On Sat, Nov 19, 2016, 1:29 PM Beverly Jones Redekop <
> beverly.jones.redekop [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> I live in Groundswell Cohousing at Yarrow Ecovillage in BC, Canada, and our
>> common house is a separate building with keypad access. The code used to be
>> shared with all residents, but for awhile now (perhaps a year?), it has
>> been restricted to residents aged 13 and older.
>> 
>> Which residents get access to the common house in your communities?
>> 
>> 
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