Ten Tips for Success in Building a Cohousing Community By Marty Maskall, Founder & Future Resident, Fair Oaks EcoHousing, 12-3-16

1. Join if you can! It’s much easier to join an existing community than to start a new one.

2. Appreciate the efforts of others who start a community – they need our support.

3. Get good help. We hired Chuck Durrett of McCamant & Durrett Architects and Katie McCamant of CoHousing Solutions, and that has made a world of difference.

4. Learn all you can. Go to every Cohousing Conference. Buy the Cohousing books. Go to events & ask questions. Get leadership training.

5. Sell your vision to get others on board.

6. Get land as soon as possible. Until you get land, nothing is real.

7. Avoid rezones. Rezones are difficult and contentious.

8. NIMBY (not in my backyard) abounds. Recognize that virtually everyone opposes development in their neighborhood. Most are NIMBY neighbors, many are BANANA (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything).

9. Persist & avoid getting discouraged. Obstacles are everywhere. Nothing takes the place of persistence.

10. Protect your health. Strive for balance, eat well, have fun, and get enough sleep.
Marty Maskall is a web designer, author, and publisher. She has published two books of inspiring quotations:

The Attitude Treasury: 101 Inspiring Quotations, and The Athena Treasury: 101 Inspiring Quotations by Women.

When Marty visited Southside Park Cohousing in downtown Sacramento in 2003, she fell in love with the beautiful common green. She was inspired by the vision of a friendly community where neighbors know and care about each other. She decided she wanted to live in cohousing.  Marty Maskall has been working to build a cohousing community in the Sacramento Suburbs since 2005. Attempts in Orangevale and Folsom failed because of the economy and zoning issues. With Fair Oaks EcoHousing, it seems the third time is the charm!

You can reach Marty at www.FairOaksEcoHousing.org, mmaskall@gmail.com, or 916-967-2472.