TAKE A BIG CITY LOT, TURN
IT INTO a 14 UNIT GROUP OF HOUSES, done with permission of city
zoning board. Fund it as a LAND TRUST. An idea so good that Sunset Magazine,
Issue February 2010 wrote it up!
Land economy,
shared garden, a village green, maybe a shared
pool or fish farm.A
self-sustaining agrarian community, an idea fitted both for suburbs or
urban areas that are being gentrified slowly. If a lot were at least
two acres. Very suited for country living if zoning board permits it.
http://www.plannersweb.com/articles/pet112.html
Structure and capacity of a community land trust
* Incorporation -- To be an effective player, a community
land trust should be incorporated.
* Non-profit status -- Helps ensure eligibility
for certain funding and offers checks and balances to make sure the
organization is not used for personal gain.
* Member-based -- Though not absolutely necessary,
this offers another level of accountability to the community.
* Board composition -- Do the bylaws proscribe a
specific board composition? If so, does the membership have adequate representation?
Does the community? Can we get politicians to further the concept?
* Board & staff skills -- If the CLT is going
to undertake development, is there adequate financial and development expertise
at the staff or board level?
* Mission -- What is the stated mission of the organization?
How does it fit in with your community's master plan?
* Funding -- How is the organization funded? How
stable are those sources of funds? Are there local public funds that could
be directed toward CLT projects?
* Technical support -- Does the CLT have access
to good technical support resources? What are those resources? Architects?
Organic farmers?
There is a tradition in EUROPE of URBAN CLUSTER VILLAGES. Set in urban parkland, they seem more rural than they are -- http://www.realarchitektur.de/work_myllypuro.html But the good thing is, they fit a lot of low income families into a small area that is verdant, has a garden feeling. They can grow food there. Where land is getting increasingly more costly, ditto FOOD, these are going to be necessary features --if jobless trend and inflation trends continue. And it seems to be that we haven't even hit the first skid of this Recession.
This is a REAL ESTATE plan FOR THE FUTURE, a free standing HOME for
each family. Read THE
CASA METHOD of creating a 'registry' for first time buyers who
have the 5k each for their downpayment. Imagine your creating that registry
with a simple phone message machine and a computer file, and craigs list
ads tolocate folks ready to buy. Find barrio properties that fit your needs.
It could be an old motel. A group of old buildings. A group of warehouses
in an industrial area. It could be a vacant lot in suburbia. Imagie a dozen
homes on a large lot, a very inexpensive way to have a group of private
homes with a single front gate Investigate "LAND TRUSTS" by
googling up the words- ANd last, Read the website below carefully to get
the idea stuck in your brain. SUNSET MAG FEB 2010 has an article on it.
don't buy it, leaf thru the thing at the library but do go see the full
idea at THIS WEBSITE --
http://www.plannersweb.com/articles/pet112.html
http://www.plannersweb.com/index/auth-o-p.html#pet_to
It has pages of info, is like a dozen articles that's what you want to save to cache and share. If you click on every one of l00 links, you'll see what they are saying. Lawyer helpful, Architect, pal on city council. Of course this started in VERMONT! WHERE ELSE! I grew up in Parklabrea Garden apartments, a circle size of a half football field with 14 families, easily a 2 acre space, 14 homes, gardens..parkland. This is an idea FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE PEOPLE...or only know LIKABLE PEOPLE!
Don't overlook city buildings or churches that are closed: In Quebec, Canada, religious buildings are increasingly being recycled into libraries, community centers or even apartment complexes. The reasons are that people don't go to church anymore, there are less and less priests, and the Catholic church can not afford anymore to maintain its many empty buildings, despite government aid.
http://actu.
dna.fr/3b7be4edf df389157a7494. ed.007.html
Short English summary (article is in French):
Public buildings like these described above, even old factories, industrial lofts can provide condo spaces and these buildings usually have an ample garden space behind. Try to get a building with soil exposed where you don't have to break thru concrete, though a jack hammer rental will give you wonderful chunks of cement with which to do raised beds. So you get SOIL AND EDGING, all in one purchase.
You can do YOUR BUILDING. your set of buildings as a profit making business done with investors. SEE http://www.luckinlove.com/casa.htm You have a living space picked out, get FHA funding, the easiest of all, but after you find a dozen occupants, each with a down payment... or if you attract your OWN FUNDERS, as a tax exempt non profit charity, you have the rich guys buy it, rent out the spaces to families, the profits roll into the funders each month, but as it's tax exempt, seems to me they would not have to pay taxes on it.A lot of rich people need a big cash tax dodge. None of you actually have to LIVE THERE. Or you can wrap it around your own CHARITY. Takes 80$ to start a tax exempt foundation. Do it as a tax exempt non profit educational foundation and have after school classes there, and do a sexual register check on every dweller so you dno't get some pedophile... It could be an amazing for-profit educational business venture. Three carpenters on a 20k lot in the boonies could do it. Each family builds their own with the 3 carpenters being the owner/investor and hammer-trainer. As close to an ole fashioned barn raising as can be imagined. We want COMMUNITY GARDENS all over the city so make your second charity "THE BETTE MIDDLER HONORARY GARDEN PROJECT" To honor her and her gardens in NYC. Get her to sit on your board, or something.
Being Poor doesn't mean
being lonely, hungry or unhappy!
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