Planning: Integrating Affordable Units Into Cohousing Communities

Bob Engler

How can non-professionals succeed in taking on the role of “developer”? How can communities succeed in making affordable units a significant part of the their development projects? How and when should cohousing groups seek outside help and advice? This session covers these questions and more in a presentation of “The Housing Delivery Process.” A thorough familiarity with this process will help groups get from vision to permitting approvals, to financing, to construction. The focus will be on a specific set of critical decisions, and the key considerations that will help your group navigate your way to making the best choices.

Bob Engler is the President of SEB, a consulting firm specializing in the development and occupancy of mixed income and affordable housing throughout Massachusetts. During the course of his 38-year consulting career, Bob has worked in over 175 Massachusetts communities on 9,000 units of housing. He has assisted cohousing communities in Acton and Berlin (Massachusetts) with permitting, financing, and lottery administration. Bob has a Masters in City Planning from MIT and an MA from Notre Dame. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.