Forming a Group (and discussion of cohousing software)

[jerryg]

Is there an "average" time that it takes to form a group to invest in cohousing?  Does owning the land before you start make it easier, because there isn't financial pressure to form the group and raise money?

[Mary B.]

Wow, great question. I think the person to ask here would be Alice Alexander. aliceanne, do you have some insight?

[Alice Alexander]

Is there an "average" time that it takes to form a group to invest in cohousing? Does owning the land before you start make it easier, because there isn't financial pressure to form the group and raise money?

Coho/US doesn't have metrics to back this up, but typically it takes at least 3-5 years or more from start to finish; some communities are still working after a decade due to any number of issues such as zoning or financing. Yes, some pull together quickly because land is already owned and financing available; that implies that folks joining agree to that land site - in other words, it may not be a group decision, but it may be a group buy in.
Another alternative just noted on the coho-l email discussion list, and re-posted as a blog on Coho/US - now showing on the home page of
Moving to an Established Community Rather than Creating A New - from Tom Lofft with Liberty Village in Maryland www.cohousing.org/node/3397
This is the kind of question best addressed by the cohousing-l email discussion list with a wide range of cohousing experience. www.cohousing.org/cohousing-l
I hope that is helpful!
Alice Alexander, Coho/US Executive Director

[jerryg]

Alice, thank you! I'm not familiar at this point with the that email discussion list, and we as a group have been looking for a good listserv possibly to complement a board like this. What can you tell me about that email?

[Mary B.]

While we're waiting for Alice to reply, I'd like to point you to ZenLunatics.com. They make a software platform specifically for cohousings--it has multiple calendars, a discussion board, a whole bunch of cool features. Our setup (at Sonora Cohousing) has a community dinner reservation system, separate calendars for general events, dinners, guest room, etc. and every work team has their own email address, web page, and email archive.

In fact, let me see if I can get Sean Davey to weigh in here. He's the owner.

[Sean Davey]

Hi, this is Sean. I run cohousing.site (formerly zenlunatics.org). There I host websites for cohousing communities for free. The software I wrote is called Mosaic. Please feel free to contact me with any questions ([e-mail]). If your community is interested, I'd be happy to set up a site for you.

[jerryg]

Sean, cohousing.site looks totally cool. Quick question: could it be a good communications tool -- comparable to a listserv -- for our small group as we are forming?

[Mary B.]

I see Sean hasn't replied to this yet, so let me say that yes, we use an email@ called 'Announce' for our general listserv address. You can create as many specific emails as you like--you could call one 'Planning' etc. Or you could use the discussion forum module (similar to this one) which is included in the software. It is also very easy to respond to emails (much easier than an actual listserv) as all you have to do is hit 'Reply All', so it's a very familiar and easy interface for people.

I highly recommend that you email Sean (see above) and set up a tour. You'll be pleasantly amazed, I promise!

We love our Mosaic program, and no one has ever complained about gaps. Whenever we see a need for a new feature, we just ask Sean if we can have it and voila!! So the program is actually based on 12 years of practical cohousing experience.

[Mary B.]

jerryg, I have added a new functionality to this site -- your community can now have its own private discussion board, accessible only to your cohousing members. You can have as many threads on the private board as you like. Let me know if you are interested and I will get you set up.