Re: [Silicon_Valley_Cohousing]

[robert b <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

--- Al Lampell <http://www.hotmail.com/~alampell> wrote:
> 
> To all the attendees at the meeting today and those who could not make it,
>  
>         This was my first chance to meet all of you. There seemed to be a
> consensus with the people I met today that we need to find out what people
> want. I offered to get things started by sending out a questionaire. 
>         Please reply to my e-mail address and not to the group address. I'll
> foward your replies to the group with a time stamp to keep things orderly. 
>  
>          We would like you to put together a reply with the following
> information: (a separate reply for each adult member of the household)
>  
> 1)  A little description of who you are.

We're Noelle and Robert, married to each other.  We both work full-time 40+
hours/week jobs and rent a small 2-bedroom house (850 sf) with a small backyard
in Japantown.  We barely know our neighbors.  I work in Mountain View, Noelle
in where-I-live.  I am a vegan, Noelle is an omnivore.

> 2) What are your expectations of this community?

a) Knowing one's neighbors.
b) Having people to hang with and common interests.
c) Investing in a place (presumably because one owns it) for the future.

> 3) Assume it will cost about $300 per sq. ft., what size home are
> you interested in? (IE: 1000 sq. ft, 1500 sq. ft. , 2000 sq. ft., greater
> than 2000sq. ft.)

850 sf is fine for us.  Anywhere between 800 and 1000 would work.

> 4) Are you looking for a studio apt. with 1 bath , 2 bedroom 1
> bath, 2 bedroom 2 bath, 3 bedroom 2 bath, 3 bedroom 3 baths, 4 bedrooms?

2 bedroom.

> 5) Are you familiar with Intentional Communities?

Yes.  Noelle and I were involved with the downtown Oakland group in 1995 to
1997.

> 6) Are  you in a position to pay for your home outright or will
> you be seeking a mortgage?

Mortgage, very likely, though we have a lot of equity from our last house we
owned while we lived in Boston.

> 7) If you need to get a mortgage, do you think you could qualify
> for one?

Yes.

> 8) What is your timetable?

We're flexible.  Any time between now and 5 years.  We'll keep saving more and
more until then.

> 9) What is your vision of the ideal community?

I'll answer this question as "what would your interaction with people ideally
be" rather than "what's important to you in a place that you would live at".  I
think the latter should be asked (see below).

It would be good to
a) have community dinners, possibly every night
b) hang out occasionally, watch (and make fun of :-) TV or movies or just talk
c) be able to go back to "one's cave" and do the usual individual-type stuff

> 10) Do you have special needs?

I am a vegan and therefore restrict my diet.

Noelle is sensitive to noise.

We have a cat and need accommodations for her.

> 11) What are your minimal requirements of this community?

Again, I'll answer this question as "what are you minimal requirements in your
interaction with people be" rather than "what's important to you in a place
that you would live at".  I think the latter should be asked (see below).

a) Weekly dinners.
b) Sharing common interests with people there.
c) Sharing values in terms of cleanliness, environment, etc.
d) Sharing food shopping, garbage removal, recycling, and cleaning.

> 12) Do you have any special talents that the community could
> use?

Not for this project.

> 13) How much time per week could you devote to community needs?

Probably 1 hour, perhaps 2.

> 14) Are you interested in a position of responsibility in the
> community?

No.

> 15) Do you have management experience?

No.

> 16)Are you open to either a ground up development or a
> reconfiguration of an existing structure?

Either or both.  We're flexible.

> 17) What are your best times for getting together for
> meetings?

Weekends are best since I have a 1-hour commute (via bicycle and train) from/to
Mountain View.

> 18) If you are moving in with family, describe the family?
> Any special needs? 

No kids and won't have any.

> Also let me know if you were at todays meeting.

We were.

> If you have any important questions that you feel need to be
> asked let me know and I'll send out an addendum with your questions.

You should ask for a prioritized list of important life values.  You should
also ask for a prioritized list of wishes for the place that you would live at.
I'll answer both of those.

19) Please list, with most important first, your life values.

a) Time to live, with not-too-high commute costs (time/money) or work.
b) Intellectually-stimulating community/neighborhood events or places to visit
or attend.  Bookstores are good, cafes can be good.  Sometimes churches or or
libraries or community gathering centers can be good.
c) Environmentally-aware.  We like to bicycle everywhere.  We also shop for our
vegetables at our local Japantown Farmers Market.

20) Please list, with most important first, requirements for a place that you
would live at.

a) Not require a car to commute to work.  I wish to continue to use
   bicycle-and-public transit to get to work.  I do not wish to exceed my
   current 1-hour-each-way commute, and Noelle is even more picky :-)
   since she needs to be at work at 8:30am each morning.
b) Accommodate my dietary needs in the community dinners; if not completely
   accommodating, having a good kitchen to cook in would be required.
c) Ecology-aware.  We currently have compost heap and I really love building it
   up.
d) Noelle has a car and we would need a parking space, preferably off-street
   since the car usually sits there during the week.
e) I am a bit paranoid and need to have a Post Office box since I've had my
   identity stolen in the past.  A neighborhood Post Office is a necessity.
f) We have a cat and would need a place that would be friendly to that,
   perhaps a balcony the cat could hang out at rather than constant
   dog-interaction, for example.
g) A small garden would be nice.  Noelle likes to garden.
h) We have grown to certain level of comfort.  Although our place doesn't
   have a built-in dishwasher, we have a portable one.  We would probably
   like to have a dishwasher.
i) Any laundry facilities should be fairly close, at least bicycling distance
   since I don't want to spend too much time dealing with our weekly dirty
   clothes.

>                 I'm hoping to get all your responses by this week and back to
> you by this weekend.
>                                                  Love, Al
>  
>       
>                  
> Conduct difficult meetings with love, kindness, and respect-- Al Lampell="ro0A> http://www.conscious-communications.com