Cohousing-L Mailing List: Transition from developer

[Nancy Lowe (sciencecandance]

Hi folks,

I'm a member of the new Village Hill Cohousing in Northampton, MA, which is
partially completed. Several households moved in a year ago, other homes
under construction, and folks are scheduled to move in later this year. *If
your cohousing, like ours, used a developer but was not "developer-driven,"
we'd like to know what kinds of preparation you implemented (or wish you
had implemented), in making the transition from the developer to the
community taking ownership of the common house and common property.  *

   - What kinds of documentation do we need -- maps of where water and
   power lines are buried, detailed plans (and construction pix) of the common
   house, records of the legal status of conservation land, etc.?
   - How should we prepare for what happens when physical things go wrong
   -- the power goes out, common house appliances fail, water or sewer pipes
   leak, etc.?
   - What do we need to do to prepare for future decades -- preparing for
   maintenance and repairs of common house, etc., adapting to a warming
   climate, etc.?
   - What do you wish your community had thought of, at the time of this
   transition?

If you have advice about how your community handled (or didn't handle) this
transition, we'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks,
nl
---
Nancy Lowe
Village Hill Cohousing, Northampton MA