Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 170, Issue 29

[Chris Terbrueggen (christopher402]

Sharon, thanks for your suggestions . I will pass them along to our policy 
team.  Building maintenance is  important . I am on a safety committee for a 
200 room hotel at my work. I think how we work together to accomplish tasks and 
that every member has stepped up to take on a role is crucial to organizational 
development . 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 29, 2018, at 5:16 AM, cohousing-l-request [at] cohousing.org wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. Cohousing policies (Chris Terbrueggen)
>   2. Re: Cohousing policies (Sharon Villines)
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2018 21:26:28 -0500
> From: Chris Terbrueggen <christopher402 [at] gmail.com>
> To: cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org
> Subject: [C-L]_ Cohousing policies
> Message-ID: <42F200D5-1349-470E-B5D3-05E74D0D1719 [at] gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=us-ascii
> 
> Greetings, I reviewed the list serve history  to see what has been discussed 
> about Cohousing policies . I noticed the focus on pets, smoking , guns, 
> participation and rental policies . I understand that it is very important to 
> have clear understandings on these issues before move in. However, I feel 
> that these policies alone do not lay the foundation for a strong Cohousing 
> operations . What specific policies does a urban cohousing community need 
> when starting a community of  45 households ? Chris 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2018 22:56:13 -0400
> From: Sharon Villines <sharon [at] sharonvillines.com>
> To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Cohousing policies
> Message-ID: <41E48EC4-2539-4E32-9B78-6B85977E5433 [at] sharonvillines.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=utf-8
> 
>> On Mar 28, 2018, at 10:26 PM, Chris Terbrueggen <christopher402 [at] 
>> gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Greetings, I reviewed the list serve history  to see what has been discussed 
>> about Cohousing policies . I noticed the focus on pets, smoking , guns, 
>> participation and rental policies . I understand that it is very important 
>> to have clear understandings on these issues before move in. However, I feel 
>> that these policies alone do not lay the foundation for a strong Cohousing 
>> operations . What specific policies does a urban cohousing community need 
>> when starting a community of  45 households ? 
> 
> My personal advice is to not go crazy making policies before you move in. You 
> need bylaws in order to legally establish the community. Those are standard 
> topics that are available in any bylaws for a condominium. How do you make 
> decisions? Who is eligible to vote/consent on issues? Quorum. Governance 
> methods.
> 
> Otherwise, the most important issues are those that determine whether a 
> household can make a commitment or not. 
> 
> Pets can be serious ? people won?t come without their pets. Others are 
> allergic or afraid. How do you resolve that? Which direction does the group 
> want to go. Remember grandfathering in ? initial outdoor cats may be accepted 
> as they are, but no new outdoor cats. Check city regs. Don?t fence yourself 
> in.
> 
> A lot of things just have to work themselves out. Things you think will be 
> major won?t be (except for pets) and others will be (like pets). 
> 
> I think the most important concern when we moved in was that we didn?t know 
> how to manage a $7.5 million multi-family housing development. 
> 
> We didn?t know what had to be inspected when or we would be shut down. How 
> floors should be cleaned in a commercial situation. Who was responsible for 
> checking the sump pumps? Who knows how to cancel an alarm that goes off 
> accidentally? Who notifies the fire department? How and where do you post 
> emergency messages ? the CH is inaccessible because the security system has 
> frozen. Expecting 18 inches of snow and the plowing company didn?t sign the 
> contract and says they never heard of us. Who deals with that? 
> 
> What has to be done when someone hits a sprinkler head and floods their unit, 
> or the kitchen? When the elevator gets stuck? Trash and recycling? How? Who? 
> And how much? It?s a huge learning curve. 
> 
> Stuff like that can be overwhelming?and also great community builders. I 
> often wish with our new residents we could go through something like that 
> again. 
> 
> Even if you have a management company, they won?t be onsite. And like our 
> first management company, they might be totally incompetent anyway. A company 
> is only as good as the person they assign to you. One suggestion is to 
> interview a local building manager?take them to lunch or invite them to a 
> meeting. Start attending local meetings of the Community Associations 
> Institute.
> 
> Not trying to scare you, just pointing you in another direction. We were 
> quite fortunate to have members who stepped up and became experts on things 
> when they went wrong. And resident electrical engineer and several DIY people.
> 
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
> http://www.takomavillage.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> End of Cohousing-L Digest, Vol 170, Issue 29
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