Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Any urban co-housing communities with multi-use?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On Sep 27, 2024, at 12:30 AM, Alan Friedlob <afcitizenscience [at] gmail.com> 
> wrote:
> 
> Oak Park Community Commons, a 24 unit 5 story project in Oak Park, IL has a
> retail space on its first floor. Are there any communities out there that
> have a functioning retail business into its design?

This is a subject that you could use conventional sources to find out which 
businesses are compatible with a residential building. Many large urban condo 
or coop buildings have commercial and medical offices on their first floors. 
The entrances are often on the sides and back of the building so you may not 
realize they belong to the building. 

One factor is that the residents influence choices because they not only want 
easy no-problem businesses but they want businesses they need — coffee shops or 
deli’s, cleaners, etc.

> The retail space is
> owned by one of the community's founders.

There are lots of messages in the archives about how to negotiate businesses 
that are owned by a resident — the conflicting interests. 

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