Aging Hippie Housing, a Geezer Commune, Co-Housing, Senior Co-op, "The Farm"?
Basic Building Concepts:
- START A CLUSTER OF HOMES: A cluster of homes on a single block or street. The problem: takes 10+ years to buy enough units and while you are neighbors you still are in separate structures.
- BUY A MANSION & SUBDIVIDE: Zoning might be an issue unless its around the Walker Art Center or area already full of multi-family Homes.
- START A "CO-HOUSING" COMMUNITY: A venerable and well developed model of shared housing and collectively organized laundry, kitchen, gardening, library, office, convening, and social spaces, plus shared tools and technology. Usually a cluster of homes with some common buildings. See Cohousing.
- CREATE A HOUSING CO-OP: Same as above, but probably one building with more distinctly separate housing units and shared activities and facilities like dining, laundry, transportation, library. (see 7500 York, Edina).
- MOVE INTO EXISTING SENIOR COMMUNITY ("OPTION X") : Clearly certain existing senior buildings will become "favorites" among progressives in our age group. Which locations and buildings will be the "best deals", the "most interesting" or the "best location"? Some research into this option would be interesting and initially the most accessible, and clearly the least work!
Some Strategic Questions:
- Location: Is there a highly preferred location or set of desired amenities? Proximity to open space or water (Lake Harriet or Mississippi River?), retail services for groceries, dining out, movies (Uptown, Highland Village, 48th and Chicago, Riverview Theatre?). Saint Paul or Minneapolis?
- Size of Geezer Commune: Should it be 8-10 units, 24-36 units, 48+ units. A small structure seems easier to acquire, convert, and organize for a limited number of members. However, a vital sense of community often depends on a larger number of people who can share common activities and interests and more substantial buildings like schools require more occupants to be feasible.
- Affordability and Economics: What level of cost can people afford. Will one of the the Geezer Commune attributes be to be "more affordable" than other senior housing options? Should the goal be to be super-affordable? Or, will it be comparably priced and "better" designed.
- Preferred Building Design Elements: Would the Geezer Commune be new construction or adaptive reuse of an existing building. Would it be super green and energy efficient? A "zero energy" building? Would it have a common kitchen, community room, kitchen gardens, shared cars and vans, a hot tub, sauna or therapy pool, a pool table, a library, a lobby, a parking garage, high tech security, a patio, rain gardens? What is minimally required and what is optional? Is it one building or two or more structures?
- Organizational Structure: A co-op association, a condo association?
- Share Values: What binds this community together other than shared living space? Can we articulate a statement of shared values? About lifestyle, politics, the environment?
- Option X: Move into an existing "most preferred" senior facility and all of the above are already addressed.
