Sebastopol Afffordable Cohousing Info Session January 24, 2007

There will be an informational meeting at 7 pm Wednesday January 24th for persons interested in perhaps owning a house in the Sequoia Village affordable co-housing development to be built starting this summer in Sebastopol. The meeting will be held in a meeting room at the back of the St Sebastians Church lot at 7983 Covert Lane in Sebastopol.

As you may know, Burbank Housing, non-profit developer of affordable housing in Sonoma County was chosen by the City of Sebastopol to develop affordable ownership co-housing on the City-owned site at 7991 Covert Lane, just west of St Sebastian's Church. Burbank has now had a design created and approved for Sequoia Village, a 20-home subdivision of the the vacant land behind the existing house at the site. There are three floor plans:
...a one story, 2 bedroom one bath model,
...a two story 1 1/2 bath model and
...a 2 story, 2 bath model.
Most are attached to one or two other townhouses. Each has a small fenced private yard. In addition to the homes Sequoia Village will include a Common House, plaza and community garden owned by all the residents through a Home-owners' Association. The design includes many "green" features to save energy and other resources, including photo-voltaic panels financed very favorably by the City.

Sequoia Village will be a co-housing develoment, meaning there will be a major emphasis on living with communal elements including communal policy-making and a number of dinners per month shared in the common house dining area. (However all the homes are complete, including kitchens.)

Sequoia Village will be affordable to low and moderate income buyers because of extensive housing subsidies from the City and from other sources Burbank has secured. Our projections show that with very small downpayments families making betweeen $40-80,000 or so could qualify financially to own a home. There are restrictions on re-sale of the homes designed to preserve the affordability. Buyers must have not owned a home in the last 3 years and there will be a preference (but not a quota) for applicants from Sebastopol.

To improve the financing and to foster community Sequoia Village will be built by Burbank using limited communal labor from the buyers at key points in the approximately year-long construction period, such as framing and landscaping. However no previous building experience is required--Burbank will train you. Buyers will be credited with $10,000 for downpayment for their labor.

Buyers will also be trained in techniques of community development for co-housng.

So do come to the meeting if you are interseted in owning an affordble home in Sebastopol, if you are attracted to co-housing, and if you are enthusiastic to take a limited role with your future neighbors in building your homes. And tell friends who may also be interested. I believe Sequoia Village will be a very wonderful community in which to live.

In February Burbank will be taking applications for the homes. For questions that can't wait until the meeting (and to get on the mailing list for applications if you can not make the meeting,) call Burbank at 707 526-9782.

John Morgan, Project Manager, Sequoia Village

Official Website: http://intentionalcomm.meetup.com/1/calendar/5416073/