Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Home for sale in Swan's Market Cohousing, Oakland CA

[Katie Henry (katie-henry]

I'm involved in the current construction of a cohousing community. We are 
subject to the market forces that are affecting all new construction -- labor 
and material shortages, increasing regulation, land use restrictions, cost of 
financing, etc. It's really hard.

There's nothing deluxe about our homes. We have vinyl flooring, decent quality 
cabinets and countertops, mid-level plumbing and light fixtures. No gold-plated 
bidets here. Our one splurge is geothermal HVAC, which should pay for itself in 
a few years, and the common house. 

It rankles to hear people accuse cohousing of being elitist and exclusionary 
when we're building this as affordably as possible while still meeting building 
code. Many of us have worked our butts off for 5+ years and are struggling to 
afford our future homes.

If I could blame any one single factor, it would be my fellow boomers who 
opposed any growth or development and made it next to impossible to build. 
Thanks, NIMBYs. You were focused on protecting your own property values but 
you've irreparably damaged the American housing market. 

Katie HenryHeartwood Commons - Tulsa