Brooklyn Co-Housing Moving Closer to Reality?
Co-ops, until the recent condo building boom, were once a dominant form of housing here in New York, but many found they weren’t actually that, you know, cooperative. So a Brooklyn couple is trying to bring another form of housing to the borough, a Danish model of communal living called co-housing. So says Sarah Ryley…
Co-ops, until the recent condo building boom, were once a dominant form of housing here in New York, but many found they weren’t actually that, you know, cooperative. So a Brooklyn couple is trying to bring another form of housing to the borough, a Danish model of communal living called co-housing. So says Sarah Ryley in the Real Deal. Individuals own their own units in co-housing, like co-ops, but there are shared communal spaces, usually including kitchens and dining areas where residents can eat together. Most American co-housing communities are in rural areas, but in February Alex Marshall incorporated Brooklyn Cohousing LLC. He’s got about 25 interested households, and they’re looking for property between $15 and $35 million for the group. Is Brooklyn ready for such communal living, and will the market provide?
Living Closely With Neighbors [The Real Deal]
Co-housing Sketch. Photo by matthewsargent.
Prodigal Son, so- don’t move there. No one’s forcing you.
What’s the big deal if other people want to live in co-housing? Does everyone have to be the same? And I believe someone said by NYC code, each living unit has to have a kitchen (cannot say if that’s accurate or not). In which case you wouldn’t be forced to use the communal areas. And we don’t even know how the kitchens would actually be set up, so for all we know each family may have its own fridge or whatever.
Lisa, I may be nitpicking here, but in co-ops you don’t own your own unit, you own shares in the corporation that owns the entire building.
Based on Blog postings – people in Brooklyn are irritated by and judgmental about virtually everything ‘other people’ do; So I really do not see this working at all. Nor would I have any interest in such an arrangement – personally when I come home the last thing I’d want to deal with is the politics over who is using the kitchen.
Shahn wasnt Ganas also an ‘open sex’ kind of community? I think that is a bit different then as an alternative to Co-Op and Condo ownership structure.
bxgirl.
Its not the rules that are a turn off. Its sharing a fricken kitchen and dining area!
I am fastidiously clean, organized and also a top notch cook/chef. I eat meat, fish, dairy, spicy, ethnic and have an adventurous larder to say the least. Will everyone else be the same?
No way.
Well, my feeling is the people who are most against it are the people most likely to make it a failure so the obvious solution is don’t move into one. All fixed.
I’m picturing a refrigerator divided up into 8 shelves with little labels on all the tupperwares.
Oh, the arguments that would follow…
” WHO ATE -MY- VEGAN TOFU SCRAMBLE? ”
” NO PORK ALLOWED IN -MY- FRIDGE!!! ”
etc etc
Co-Housing is not communes, nor cults. And what? there are no rules in coops or condos? Who hasn’t heard about the co-op boards from hell?
good USA Today articles:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-28-communes_N.htm
Worst. Idea. Ever.
I think we’re just being open to new ideas. this seems like a good time for that. And actually this idea is not all that new.
And didn’t you say last year, “Another very nice, middle-class family home available only to the super rich.
Sigh…
Brooklyn is screwed up.”?
It’s not a lifestyle for you- we get that. But that doesn’t mean it’s not for everyone. And no, I’m not moving in- but to be honest, if the right place came along and it was he right time, I really might. As long as I have my own living/work space. I love being around other artists- its a creative, funny, over the top kind of atmosphere that sends me home all revved up to do more work.