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Greetings! It's
been a grand month for our community-in- development, Stone Curves Cohousing,
located at Stone and Limberlost in north-central Tucson.
Construction Update
As the weeks and months pass, we
see dramatic growth of our future homes and Common House on the Stone
Curves site at Stone and Limberlost in north- central Tucson. In the past
month, exterior masonry work on the 3800-s.f. common house has been largely
completed. The three fireplaces (one in the first floor library, one on
the outdoor patio/sitting area, and one on the second-floor deck) have
taken shape. And, we're looking forward to having a fully usable Common
House sometime in the spring of this year.
To celebrate this progress, on
January 31, several dozen Stone Curves community members held their first
official "event" in the future Common House - a birthday party for our
Project Manager, James Hamilton
As of February 1, all four of the
buildings in Villages 1 and 2 are well under way. It's now possible, during
our weekly site tours (2:30 each Saturday afternoon), to walk through
partially-built units representing most of the available floor plans,
and to get a clear sense of the shapes and sizes of interior and exterior
spaces, including front porches and upstairs balconies. With construction
progressing so well, move-in day for future residents of Villages 1 and
2 gets closer; it's now looking like some units will be available for
move-in by this summer! And, look for the concrete pads for Village #5
(on the northwest corner of the site) to be poured in the near future;
once in place, we'll be "getting vertical" with these homes as well.
If you haven't recently witnessed
the construction first hand, drive by the site sometime soon and see for
yourself. Or better yet, plan to attend one of our weekly 45-minute site
tours - every Saturday starting at 2:30 p.m.! And, if you'd like to get
directly involved in construction aspects of Stone Curves, consider joining
our Construction Interface Team (CIT). Call Mike Neckerman at (520) 360-4817
to find out more.
Wanta find
out more about our site and unit floor plans?
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Sales
Update/Available Units |
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The last six weeks or
so have been an especially thrilling time in the growth of our community-in-the-
making. We've seen our numbers of invested and seriously interested
members experience steady growth. As of February 1, Stone Curves
Cohousing has sold over half of the eventual 48 units.
But, what's so exciting about
this growth in our community? Is it seeing the numbers grow? Is
it seeing more red and blue dots being placed on our site map in
the sales office? Is it knowing that the financial commitments are
being made to assure that our community of friendly neighbors becomes
a reality?
Actually, no. The real thrill
in the growth of a cohousing community comes from seeing new faces
of new members young and old, witnessing the human connections that
happen when people find common ground, and feeling the thrill of
human warmth that springs forth so gracefully and abundantly as
we come
together in community.
And, if that's the sort of experience you're looking for,
then cohousing may be for you. Take a closer look at Stone Curves,
and let us know if you're interested.
See
the complete list of available Stone Curves units. »
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Outdoor
Common Area Plans Taking Shape! |
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At the Stone Curves General
Meeting on Sunday, February 1, community members were treated to
a special presentation from our landscape architect, Greg Shinn.
Greg presented his detailed plans for the use of outdoor common
space on our 5.1-acre site. Greg's formal plans, created through
a process involving substantial member input over the last several
months, outline the placements of items such as the swimming pool,
children's play areas, a butterfly/hummingbird garden, and village
gathering areas.
These plans will lay the
groundwork for how the beautifully-landscaped outdoor areas of the
community will take shape. But there's still much work to be done.
If you're a Stone Curves
member (or are giving it consideration), there's plenty of time
for you to get involved in this enjoyable, gratifying work. Want
to take part? Contact Dan or Gina Kruse at (520) 327- 1336 about
the Green Team. Are you interested in learning
more about our Outdoor Common Area plans? Attend a meeting of the
Stone Curves Green Team sometime soon. Call Dan or Gina Kruse for
information at (520) 327-1336. |
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Cohousing
FAQ's |
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In meeting people at our
sales office, and responding to questions from friends, relatives
and others who are curious about cohousing, certain questions seem
to pop up regularly. Here are a few.
What are the Defining Characteristics
of Cohousing?
1. PARTICIPATORY PROCESS:
In cohousing communities, future residents participate in the design
of the community so that it meets their needs. Some cohousing communities
are initiated or driven by a developer, which may actually make
it easier for more future residents to participate. Other communities
are more "member-driven" and may or may not include a developer.
2. NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN:
In cohousing, the physical layout and orientation of the buildings
(the site plan) encourage a sense of community. For example, the
private residences are usually clustered on the site leaving more
shared open space, the dwellings typically face each other across
a pedestrian street or courtyard, and cars are often parked on the
periphery of the site. In some communities, the common house may
be visible from the front door of every dwelling. But more important
than any of these specifics is that the intent is to create a strong
sense of community with site design and village design as facilitators
in this process.
3. COMMON FACILITIES: Common
facilities are designed for daily use, are an integral part of the
community, and are always supplemental to the private residences.
The common house typically includes a common kitchen, dining area,
sitting area, children's playroom and laundry and may also have
a teen room, workshop, library, exercise room, crafts room and/or
one or two guest rooms. Cohousing communities often have playground
equipment, lawns, and gardens as well (all of these amenities will
be part of Stone Curves).
4. RESIDENT MANAGEMENT:
Cohousing communities are managed by their residents. Residents
also do much of the work required to maintain the property, participate
in the preparation of common meals and meet regularly to
develop policies and do
problem-solving for the community.
5. NON-HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE
AND DECISION- MAKING: In cohousing communities there are leadership
roles, but no one person or persons who have authority over others.
Most groups start with one or two "burning souls", but as new community
members join the group, each person takes on one or more roles consistent
with his or her skills, abilities or interests. Most cohousing groups
make all of their decisions by consensus, and although many groups
have a policy for voting, if consensus cannot be reached after a
number of attempts, it is very rarely or never necessary to resort
to voting or a "majority rule" approach to decision-making.
6. NO SHARED COMMUNITY
ECONOMY: Usually, a cohousing community is not a source of income
for its members. Occasionally, a cohousing community will pay one
of its own members to do a specific (usually time limited) task,
but more typically the task will simply be considered to be that
member's contribution to the shared responsibilities.
See
other cohousing FAQ's and learn more about cohousing communities
across the United States. » |
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A
Cohouser's Story: Ania Rzeszutko on "Starting 2004 with Stone Curves
Energy" |
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Hi! I'm Ania, a member of Stone Curves cohousing. I live in the
Arizona valley to the north traveling the hundred miles to Tucson
twice a month to participate in the development of our community.
I've been making these trips for almost two years. I've enjoyed
doing the business of Stone Curves but haven't had the opportunity
to socialize often with my future Stone Curves neighbors.
I remedied that this New
Year's. I came to Tucson with a friend for a New Year's Eve contra
dance. I invited my Stone Curves friends, Yoshiko and Marc, who
were willing to try something new. They came, learned, danced, had
fun, and are ready to dance again.
New Year's Day dawned sunny
and warm. I continued celebrating, taking a hike with Yoshiko, Marc
and their children, Joe and Joy. Yoshiko made rice balls for our
lunch on the trail. The children with their father hiked ahead of
Yoshiko and myself then waited for us at a lookout ledge. The view
of the land below was magnificent. I sunned myself on a higher rock
below the ridge, while the family continued to climb. I rejoined
them on their return. When we all reached the lookout ledge on the
descent, we enjoyed the New Year's rice balls with the Japanese
plum center.
As we continued our descent,
I heard a familiar voice, another Stone Curves neighbor, Vicky,
who knowing what trail we were on, came to find us. She had already
hiked another trail that morning so walked back with us to our car.
She mentioned that when her family members hike together, they end
the hike with ice cream. I said, "That's a great idea. I'll treat!"
So there we were - six Stone Curves neighbors enjoying the many
flavors at Baskin Robbins, and enjoying each other at the same time.
I had a wonderful feeling of love, comfort, and peace all the way
driving back north on New Year's Day. It was a great start to 2004,
the year the Stone Curves neighbors will begin living and playing
together day by day.
Meet
our other members! » |
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