Things Are Happening at Stone Curves
Construction Continues...and Move-Ins Begin! October 15, 2004
In this issue
Great Units Still Available
Move-Ins Galore!
And that's not all!
What Does is REALLY Cost to Live in Cohousing??
A Member's Story: Susan Walcott, on Moving Into Community
Greetings!
As Tucson's fall approaches, things are busy at the Stone Curves site at Stone
and Limberlost in north- central Tucson. We're still in construction...sales activities
continue at a brisk pace...and some families are now calling this place home.
Read on for all the details.
Great Units Still Available
While Stone Curves homes have been selling "like hotcakes" in recent
months (and new community members have joined us since the last edition of this
newsletter), there are still several desirable units available in the community.
As of this writing, three "B" units remain unsold. The "B"
is Stone Curves' smallest unit, a one bedroom, one-bath unit (it also includes
a charming alcove off the bedroom) with a roomy kitchen/dining/living area.
Additionally, two "F" units have come available. The "F" is
a mid-sized unit boasting three bedrooms and two bathrooms, PLUS a nifty first-floor
office. "F" is perfect for a growing family.
And, as of now, two "D" units remain available. The "D" is
the largest Stone Curves home, with four spacious bedrooms, three baths, and an
extra-roomy kitchen/living/dining space. And, one of these units includes a generous
(but temporary) DISCOUNT.
To find out more details on these units, visit our web site, or call Project Manager
James Hamilton at (520) 293-5290 for more information.
Take a look at the list of these available units.
Move-Ins Galore!
After several years of diligent work, a particularly exciting and gratifying stage
in the creation of the Stone Curves neighborhood is upon us. In the past several
weeks, almost twenty Stone Curves homebuyers have closed on their units and moved
in to their new homes, in Villages 1 and 2 at the south end of Stone Curves.
And that's not all!
With each move-in, new residents were greeted with a ceremonial "red carpet"
and a gaggle of friendly neighbors who presented a goodie-bag containing much-needed
household items. Though some landscaping and exterior finishing details remain
to be completed, these villages now have what it really takes to make a neighborhood
come alive: the people, neighbors to one another who will share the joys of neighborhood
life together in coming months and years.
Meet the individuals and families who make up our growing community.
What Does is REALLY Cost to Live in Cohousing??
Editor's note: Dan Kruse, along with his wife Gina, became part of Stone Curves
over two years ago. As is his diligent and analytical manner, Dan has spent hours
obsessing on exactly what it is he's getting for his investment. What he has discovered
is that, while home prices for cohousing communities are generally a tad higher
than some of the alternatives, recognizing the REAL cost (and value) of cohousing
requires a closer look. He's taken such a closer look, and here presents his thoughts...
Each week for the last two years, as countless visitors have visited the 5.1-acre
Stone Curves site, many of the same questions arise: What kind of neighborhood
is this? How big are the units? What are the floor plans? Do I have to like ALL
my neighbors? What exactly is cohousing, anyway?
And, of course, the burning question on everyone's mind: HOW MUCH WILL IT COST
ME TO LIVE HERE? While it's easy to provide a cursory answer to this important
inquiry, in cohousing the answer is perhaps a bit more complex than in a "regular"
neighborhood. So, here's an attempt to put the issue of home prices and living
costs into perspective.
First the easy part: Stone Curves homes range in price from a low of about $125,000
(for our smallest unit, a one bedroom "B") to a high of $265,000 (for
a "D", the largest unit with four bedrooms). Of course, you can compare
these prices, square footages, interior features, architectural style, and countless
other forms of "house data" until you're blue in the face, and you may
like what you discover, or you may not. But, those calculations don't tell the
story. Here's why:
Stone Curves boasts a 3800-square foot common house, with a super-sized well designed
kitchen, a spacious 60-seat dining room, an entertainment room, an exercise room,
a craft room, a library, a kids room, a teen room, and lots more. As a Stone Curves
community member, what do you pay for all this beautiful space, yours to use every
day of the year? NOTHING. It's part of what you buy when you purchase your home.
Oh - did we mention the laundromat that's also in the common house? No coin-op
here, it's yours to use for free (as well as the laundry detergent purchased by
the community!).
We'll have a 1400-foot workshop at Stone Curves. You know, the kind of space you'd
use to work on your car, strip and re-finish that old dresser, build a cabinet,
repair a bicycle. And, with expected donations from community members, it'll be
well- equipped for all these jobs and more. What does this workshop cost you?
NOTHING. IT'S PART OF WHAT YOU BUY with a Stone Curves home.
But wait - there's more!! There'll be a swimming pool, and a community garden,
a kids play area, an indoor/outdoor stage area for concerts, plays or poetry readings.
All these things (and many, many others) are part of what you purchase and own
when you become a "Curver". And, we haven't even mentioned the countless
"intangible benefits" of living in a supportive community where you
know your neighbors and your neighbors know you, where your kids have built-in
friends and a safe space to play, where community meals are lovingly prepared
and shared several times a week. When you get right down to it, investing in a
Stone Curves home (of whatever size!) is an amazing value. Do the math!
If you're as obsessive as Dan on such matters (or even if you're not), you may
have more questions. Call James Hamilton at (520) 293-5290 to make an appointment
to come and visit.
Read more about the beauty and value of our community.
A Member's Story: Susan Walcott, on Moving Into Community
Editor's note: Susan Walcott, a Stone Curves member for nearly two years, was
one of the first to move in to her home, in late September. Fortunately for us,
she took the time to record some of her thoughts, and allowed us to print them
here.
9/24/04: Am at Stone Curves four days now. Woke early to greet the sun and this
writing is early as well. A quiet peacefulness has settled in. A spacious expansion,
not only of physical space but of a sense of time as well. I do not feel rushed
or pushed from behind as before, the manic activity has subsided. Neighbors pass
by in the early morning air. I am a child seeing my play-mates on trikes fly by
on 118th Street. This is how I began my life this is how I now continue it. A
child's paradise now in conscious awareness.
9/30/04: Sitting in the early morning air on my porch. Neighbors pass on the way
to work or out walking the dog. The casual greetings and warmth remind me of how
precious this new home is. These clouds have been here for days. Pre-dawn patchwork.
Our sky views and the excitement of being here have me up and out of bed to greet
the dawn more often this week than at any other time save Sundance.
Something about the air. Even with the distant traffic, the morning has a ceremonial
feel to it. The Rincons are having controlled burns so the air smells of fire
and ceremony. This place has a feel of Sundance, of the camp kitchens and the
teepees gathered, with children running through, weaving the threads among the
camps that tie the generations together. Camp life at Sundance is as much a part
of the ceremony as the tree and arbor. Around the edges camp the supporters, holding
up the ceremony with prayers and water. Even more significant to ceremony is holding
the place of shadow during the four days when the Sundancers see nothing but the
orb of the sun. This is unconscious at Sundance and often ends in break-ups and
break-downs among the camp kitchens.
Perhaps at Stone Curves a conscious support can emerge. Enough to hold the ideal
of community and compassion together while still honoring and providing a safe
environment for those who desire to sacrifice or are called to sacrifice so that
the people may live.
Get to know all of our members...
Quick Links...
Visit the Stone Curves web site.
Want to read previous months' newsletters?
We're creating an environmentally site. Here's our Environmental Statement...
Meet our lead developer, Wonderland Hill.
Want to get to know the University of Arizona?
email: kruserdag@aol.com
phone: (520) 327-1336
web: http://stonecurves.com