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Greetings!
Progress at Stone Curves is becoming more and more
visible with every passing week. And, many great units
of all sizes and prices are still available.
There's lots to see at our Stone and Limberlost site.
Visit the site any Saturday or Sunday between noon
and 4:00 p.m. to see the progress. And, attend an
INFORMATIONAL PROGRAM AND SITE TOUR any
Saturday at 2:30. For more information, call James
Hamilton or Diane de Simone at (520) 293-5290.
Are You a "PFC" (Potential Future Cohouser)?
Many who hear about Stone Curves and cohousing ask
questions like: "Who will live there?", or "What type of
people live in cohousing?", wondering aloud whether
they might find cohousing a comfortable place for them
to live.
To help understand whether you might enjoy the
experience of living in a cohousing community, ask
yourself the following questions:
Do I enjoy meeting new people and getting to know
them? Do I enjoy participating in cooperative (non-
competitive) processes and activities, using consensus
decision making while working toward a common goal?
Would I value the opportunity to live in a close-knit,
diverse community of people, where supportive, long-
term relationships with neighbors are the rule, rather
than the exception? As a citizen of Planet Earth, do I
seek to conserve resources and promote sustainability
by sharing with my friends and neighbors, and by
making good use of the natural resources (water,
sunlight, energy, plants, etc.) that surround us? Would
I enjoy participating in group activities such as shared
meals, family celebrations, and non-competitive group
recreation on a regular basis? Do I feel that I have
something to offer my friends and neighbors - my
talents, my support, my love - in ways that will enrich
their lives and the life of a community?
If you find yourself answering "yes" to more than one
or two of these questions, there's a good chance you
may find cohousing just the right housing opportunity
for you.
Find out more about the cohousing concept, and get answers to frequently asked questions about cohousing.
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Substantial New Construction Progress on Stone Curves Site |
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In the last month, considerable progress has been made
on the construction aspects of our community-to-be.
Following October's pouring of the concrete foundation
and floor for the 3800-square foot common house,
framing of the common house walls and rooms began in
earnest. It's now possible to take a guided tour
through the structure itself, entering and leaving the
first floor rooms such as the kitchen, dining room, living
room/entertainment room, children's play room, the
office and reading room.
Additionally, attractive arched masonry, which will
surround the common house, has gotten under way,
and roof trusses are now in place above the second
floor rooms - all this in the space of several weeks!
Seeing the building "get vertical" is a thrilling
development for community members who have worked
for months or years to see this come about.
With the common house construction proceeding so
well, it's possible for us to look forward to sharing meals
and other activities there by Spring 2004. You can
count on some special events and activities to mark
the occasion - keep an eye out for your invitation!
The beautiful, arching wall that will line the perimeter of
Stone Curves has also grown magnificently in the last
month. This wall is an elegantly curving edifice that
arches and bends its way along Stone Ave., directly
across the street from the colorful Stone Avenue mural
that has become a landmark of this neighborhood and a
symbol of the remarkable work of the Limberlost
Neighborhood Association. And, substantial numbers of
native plants, carefully relocated from elsewhere on the
site, are planting ever deeper roots along the Stone
Avenue perimeter of the site. If you're a Tucsonan, or
plan to be in Tucson any time soon, take a drive by the
site at N. Stone Ave. and Limberlost to witness the
impressive construction progress that has taken place.
Learn more about our community and our site. »
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Great Units Still Available! |
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In recent weeks, Stone Curves members have been
asked about the availability of homes in the community.
Some who ask are operating under the assumption that
most or all of the units are sold and thus unavailable.
This is definitely not the case!
As of December 1, some 23 of the eventual 48 homes
at Stone Curves have been spoken for; 25 home at
Stone Curves are still available for reservation or
purchase. Specifically, several great units, of various
sizes and prices, are still up for grabs in Villages 1 and 2
(move in - Spring '04). Additionally, the other three
villages on the northern part of the site have many
available units as well, ranging from "B" units (one
bedroom, 680 s.f. interior space) priced in the low
$100's, to "D" units (four bedrooms, 1600+ s.f.) priced
in the low $200's).
Find out more about available unit sizes and prices. »
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Exterior Common Space Workshop a Huge Success |
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Our landscape architect Greg Shinn recently conducted
a one-day workshop to determine the community's
needs and preferences regarding our outdoor common
space. This highly interactive community event,
attended by some 25 future residents, resulted in a
growing consensus about this space, which will include
amenities such as a swimming pool, children's play
areas, gardens, a laundry drying yard, and many other
wonderful features.
In the coming weeks, Greg will prepare and present a
formal design for these areas, which the community will
review prior to beginning this work. It'll be yet another
significant step in bringing to fruition the vision of a
truly "neighborly" community at Stone and Limberlost in
Tucson.
If you'd like to learn more about our landscaping and
permaculture efforts, and our developing plans for the
use of our community's shared open space, feel free to
attend an upcoming Green Team meeting. For more
details, e-mail Dan and Gina Kruse at
kruserdag@aol.com.
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Sales Office Relocated |
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If you plan to visit our site at Stone and Limberlost in
north-central Tucson, please note that our sales office
has been relocated to the northern part of our site. To
reach the new sales office (located in a sunny outdoor
canopy), go to the intersection of Stone and Limberlost
and go west on Limberlost approximately 50 yards.
The Stone Curves Sales office is open every Saturday
and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m. At the office,
you'll find one or more friendly members of our
community available to answer your questions.
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A Cohouser's Story: Why I Choose to Live in Cohousing, by Carlos Nagel |
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As a young administrator of a National Institutes of
Health primate research project in Puerto 'Rico,
beginning in 1959 I intuitively applied a participatory
management style to my administrative
responsibilities. I did not know what I was doing but
had the freedom, as a field administrator on four
offshore islands, to be far from the conventional
bureaucratic environment. It was not until several
years later, when I read Douglas MacGregor's "The
Human Side of Enterprise", that I realized what I was
doing. Since then, in all my administrative positions I
have had a firm conviction of the importance of the
participation of all the actors in an organization and I
became highly sensitized to the contrast between
hierarchical structures and the broader participatory
approach to group activities.
After establishing the Mexico program of the Arizona
Sonora Desert Museum in the latter half of the 70's I
created a consultancy, Cultural Exchange Services.
Until the late 80's, in collaboration with John Kent, from
Great Britain, an extraordinarily creative colleague, I
was deeply involved in presenting intercultural training
programs. By the early 90's I began linking individuals
across more than the ostensible ethnic and national
boundaries. I found myself helping individuals discover
common grounds - environmentalists, entrepreneurs,
and those interested in the social/spiritual aspects of
life. I have received an award that identified me as
a "netweaver", a label I wear very proudly.
In seminars and workshops I have created opportunities
for new "communities" to emerge - communities of
individuals with differing opinions and knowledge who
were interested in achieving a certain goal. What I
found was that the more that individuals in a group
focused on a common objective, the less likely they
were to insist an the "right" or "wrong" of their opinions
and, more and more, joined the diversity of their skills
and abilities to create a richer and more appropriate
outcome. Since 1978 have been engaged in this
process as a private entrepreneur (although I
volunteer as much time as I get paid for) - in the
US/Mexico border region. In 1998 I became involved in
the 600-foot Stone Avenue Curve mural project.
Several of us, including my neighbor Laurie Haskett,
became engrossed in the process of community
involvement - taggers, artists, students, and
neighbors - in the mural project. And from that
emerged the Limberlost Neighborhood Association.
Among the events that I was also following was the
creation of the Sonora Cohousing on Roger Road and
when I met James Hamilton and Diane de Simone, the
sparkplugs of the project, at one of our association
meetings, I became thoroughly interested. So, when
Stone Curves project was announced I thought: "Here
is another chance to become involved in my own back
yard!!", beyond the activities I was doing along the
borderlands. I guess I was the second or third person
to sign on as an equity member of Stone Curves. What
I have seen is a period of my own personal growth, an
opportunity to share many of the concepts and
experiences that I have gathered from my professional
activities and, as I am fond of pointing out, I am
getting the equivalent of "hands on" Master's Degree in
community development. Since 2001, I have seen
individuals transformed by their experience within our
group, I have seen the increase in trust, the bonds of
friendship solidify, I have seen individuals concerned
about each other, I have seen a truly participatory
magic emerge, and I have seen how leadership has
been exercised at just the appropriate moment. And,
there are several cohousers who have become real
pals. I treasure that close friendship and the bonds of
trust that characterize those relationships. What an
adventure!!!
Meet the other members of Stone Curves. »
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