intentional communities

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Permalink Reply by Dana on June 22, 2008 at 9:13pm

I have considered it and would like to join one at some time.. However, I am still a bit headshy about it at this point. My husband (hubs) and I were involved in a joint real estate deal with what we thought were like-minded friends, that ended up in a court battle and a dissolution of the friendship. I think standard business principles apply... ie, no matter how close you are, and the closer you are the more important this is..... get everything in writing, through an LLC or whatever... Establish good boundaries for yourself and the relationships if you are creating something new... If you are joining something existing, make sure everything is in black and white. It is all peace and love until you have a disagreement.. Then you need something in writing as to how to mediate the issue... emails and verbal conversations don't make for good business outcomes, karmic or otherwise....Written agreements allow for boundary security ( do you know what I mean? I may not be using the correct semantic).

Having said this, Hubs and I have some ranching property that I would LOVE to turn into a co-op of some sort... 4 allowable homes on the current zoning... totally off-grid... any ideas on financing something like this or finding partners??

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Permalink Reply by Gerry Manata on June 23, 2008 at 12:16pm

Dana,
Check out www.cohousing.org and www.IC.org. IT might be a place to start.

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Permalink Reply by Gingeroo on June 24, 2008 at 3:43pm

There is a home 2 driveways up from mine on 5 acres with fruit trees, and gardens, and drip irrigation from rainwater harvesting already set up. The main house is about 3500 sq. ft. and then there are about a half a dozen "rustic homes" set up on the property....and it's for sale...for a good price considering all you get. So I've definitely been thinking about it, a lot.

In looking at the property and talking with friends, I find myself coming to the same conclusions as Dana. Put it in writing. It may seem a bit formal at first, but I can't imagine being stuck with the financial burdens of the place myself. My friend jay suggested that everyone owns a piece, and if they choose to leave--they remain financially responsible for their share until they find someone else to buy them out. The other part of that is the person joining the group needs to be pre-approved by the existing partners in the situation. I thought those were good suggestions.

Living with others takes patience and communication. I currently live with 3 other women, and at times it's a bit hairy. The more communication, the less misunderstanding and resentment. I think it can be a blessing when you have a community to help you raise your children, care for pets, property or gardens but i do think it's difficult.

And compromise. Don't forget that one. Stick to what you are adamant about, otherwise it will bother you tenfold, but be willing to bend where you aren't too attached.

I think the only way we'll get through this is to come back home to communities that work together.

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Permalink Reply by Swan on June 25, 2008 at 3:02pm

See a recent post in my blog called "In the Company of Friends" at http://goodwordswan.wildflowerstew.com/2008/04/12/in-the-company-of...

My experiences with intentional community.

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