Glossary-Index

This document is a work-in-progress by Jay (last worked on March/2010). Members, feel free to fill in blanks, add new entries or make corrections.

A B C D EF G HIJ KLM O P QR S T UV W XYZ

A

• accessibility: This was one of the main areas of emphasis in all our design planning (as well as being a requirement for SMART Housing). Accessibility was why we choose a common house where all of the rooms are on the ground floor (there is a tiny bit of common space on the second floor deck). All of our homes except for the upstairs flats will meet visitability/aging-in-place goals of a no-step entrance and a downstairs bedroom and bathroom. Homes are not ADA-accessible, but have features such as reinforcements in the walls where bars can be attached that make them easier to adapt to ADA.
• action item: Task done for the community.
• address: Kaleidoscope Village's official Post Office address is 6314 FM 969, Austin TX 78724. Austin Cohousing's official address is c/o Jay Marchand, PO Box 18193, Austin TX 78760.
• aging-in-place: We have a lot of members who are concerned about keeping their independence for as long as possible. See accessibility for homes and common house design. The woonerf will provide a paved surface for walkers and wheelchairs. What cohousing provides more than anything, though, is an opportunity for seniors to weave their own safety nets by organizing with neighbors.
• alternative energy: This is #8 on the contingency list. This line item was purposefully left unspecified so that the developers could decide which type of alternative energy offers the most “bang for the buck.” We since then have done some surveys to clarify the general feelings of the group toward various large and small solar energy setups. Current plans are to have solar assist water heaters.
• assessments: This is the name for money collected by a condominium to manage the community. Monthly (or “regular”) assessments should cover the routine costs of management. If regular assessments and the reserve fund are not sufficient, a special assessment may be required. See also reserve fund.
• associate membership: We no longer have the associate membership category (since that was membership in Central Austin Cohousing LLC, which has been dissolved). We now have unit reservations tied to sales contracts with the developers, and provisional membership for households that are waiting for more units to be made available.
• attics: All of the townhomes and upstairs flats will have semi-conditioned attics with subfloor. This is intended for storage, not living space.
• auction: Early money was raised from the seven founding member households through reverse Dutch auctions: “Dutch” auction: all successful bidders get same rate; “reverse” auction: goal is to get lowest, not highest, incentive discount bid.
• Austin Cohousing: We initially were Central Austin Cohousing. After the LLC dissolved and turned the project over to the developers, we began using the name Austin Cohousing. After KV is built, Austin Cohousing may or may not continue as an organization—we hope others will be inspired by KV to plan and build more cohousing in Austin.

B

• bicycle storage: Originally, the developers intended to sell individual bike storage, but now the intent is to build some communal storage. One possibility is to have a garage and/or carport for bike parking.
• box (“in the box”): See parking lot.
• brainstorming: Meeting technique where people offer ideas without waiting to be called on. In brainstorming, you’re encouraged to say whatever comes to mind, even if it’s silly, to get the group thinking “out-of-the-box.”
• “brown book”: The Cohousing Handbook, by Chris Hanson, which goes into some detail about the process of planning and building cohousing. At one time, this was required reading for full members, but is less relevant now that we have moved past the design phase.

C

• Central Austin Cohousing: The corporate entity Central Austin Cohousing LLC dissolved in 2007 after all remaining funds went into escrow. The development is now being run by KV Creation LP.
• charrette (or charette): In architecture, an intensive effort to arrive at a design in a given period of time (a day or a weekend). CAC did several charrettes on previous projects and on KV.
• check-in: At the start of meetings, we go around the circle and have people introduce themselves and tell how they’re doing. Sometimes, the facilitator will ask a specific question.
• check-out and evaluation: At the end of meetings, we go around the circle again so people can say how they thought the meeting went and how they’re feeling about cohousing.
• children: It has always been a central principle of CAC that we want to be child-friendly. For instance, although households can have private adult-only events, any community-wide events will include children. Also, rather than assume that all areas are off-limits to children unless otherwise specified, we intend the opposite: children will only be excluded from areas where it is not safe for them to be. Children are expected to follow the rules for each area: for instance, everyone (children and adults) will be expected to use “indoor voices” in the common house. See also home schooling, Living with Children agreement, playscape, toddler playroom.
• clarifying question: In meetings, a question aimed at understanding the wording and intent of a proposal (not all the implications).
• clotheslines: We have not framed a specific policy on clotheslines beyond an intent to allow and encourage this form of alternative energy. We definitely intend to have a clothesline near the common house laundry.
• committees: While we wait for construction to move forward, we are relying on ad hoc committees and individual initiative for anything that needs to be addressed.
• common house: The focus of a cohousing community, the common house is designed to provide many opportunities for cohousing neighbors to socialize, to meet, to share meals, to work together. Our common house will be 4000 sq ft, and will have a large dining/meeting room and kitchen, guest rooms, toddler/ kid playrooms, laundry, mailboxes, and several flex rooms to be used for whatever best meets the community’s needs.
• common house furnishings: This is #6 on our contingency list. Most likely the money will be concentrated on big ticket items such as quality tables and chairs for the dining room. We also expect that we will have donations of used furniture from households that are downsizing or buying new furniture for their homes.
• common meals: We will have several common meals each week in the common house. It has been suggested that we try five meals to start with: Monday through Thursday evening and Saturday brunch. Community members will take turns on cooking or cleaning detail. Decisions still to be made are whether meal duty will be compulsory—there is at least one community that makes it compulsory for the first three months of residence to encourage people to try it out. See our draft policy.
• composting: We will have lots of composting. Details to follow.
• condo docs: The condo declaration defines: unit borders; the authority for setting and collecting assessments; restrictions on rentals and sales. It also refers to the rules and regulations of the community.
• condominium law: Texas Condominium Act (http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/PR/pdf/PR.82.pdf)
• conflict resolution process: Our conflict resolution process is based on the principles of consensus as developed in the book Crucial Conversations.
• consensus process: See _____________ for our formal decisionmaking process. We will be having more consensus training.
• contingency list: These are items that are included in the project budget but can be cut if necessary to absorb budget overages. Thus, although we hope to get all of the items on the contingency list, it is important to understand that none of these are guaranteed. At the April 9, 2006 meeting, the community ranked the contingent items. Since then, there have been occasional discussions and community surveys on various contingency topics.
• crosstown bus: During a discussion, an off-topic remark. Such remarks may be put in the “parking lot” to be dealt with later.
• Crucial Conversations: Required reading for all members. This is the method we have chosen as the basis for our conflict resolution process.

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D

• Decision-Making Process: See consensus process.
• design matrix: This document was the end product of several months of hard work by the Design Committee to consolidate information accumulated from various charrettes and workshops over the years. When we turned the development over to KV Creation, we gave them the design matrix to guide them in building KV.
• developer-driven cohousing: The KV project became developer-driven in 2006.
• dogs: There will be a dog run for dogs to play together under supervision. There is an unconsensed-on but frequently mentioned understanding that if dog poop is discovered in the commons, any dog-owner in the vicinity will be responsible for removing it immediately, whether it is the output of their particular dog or not. Also discussed are plans for dog-owners to provide mutual support by having periodic obedience training on the grounds and assisting in special training when a dog has a problem, by arranging dog-sitting and playdates so that dogs do not have to be kenneled if their owners are away, by trading off supervising the dog run, and by having dog “godparents” who can act on an owner’s behalf if their dog is misbehaving or in an emergency. Our goal is that not only people but dogs should benefit by living in community. See also dog affinity area and dog run.
• dog run: This is #11 on our contingency list. A fenced-in area where dogs can play together off-leash. This may include the dog affinity group yards or adjoin them.
• dues: We collect $12 a month per household as needed for Austin Cohousing’s operating costs. We currently are not collecting dues, but probably will need another round soon.

EF

• escrow: Money that is given to a third party (usually a title company) by two or more entities who have a contract, to be held until mutually-agreed-upon requirements are met. When Austin Cohousing members signed initial sales contracts for a home, their associate- and equity-member money was transfered into an escrow account. These initial contracts expired due to schedule delays, and at that time households could withdraw their money if they wanted. When final sales contracts are offered, banks will probably require households to put at least 5% of the price of their unit into escrow. This will be nonrefundable if the developers build a home that meets the price in the contract.
• equity membership: This category is OBE now that Central Austin Cohousing LLC has officially dissolved.
• fences, gates, walls: This is #5 on our contingency list. Refers mostly to the perimeter fence. There may be some spot fencing such as a wall built near the entrance to keep headlights from flashing the green at night. This item does not cover fences for back yards, which will be the responsibility of individual households, or may be a community project. (See gated community.)
• fishbowl: A meeting technique where two volunteers sit in the center of the group and have a dialogue on the issue at hand. The seats can be switched out with members of the group, but only these two “chairs” can talk.
• flex rooms: In the common house, several rooms are designated as flex rooms. These may change in usage from year to year to meet the needs of the community.
• flipboard: When a proposal comes up for consensus, the flipboard that sits on top of the Post-It pad serves as a visual reminder of the stages in our process: Clarifying Questions, Discussion, Listing Concerns, Addressing Concerns, Testing for Consensus.
• floodplain: None of the KV site is in the FEMA floodplain, and none of the homes are in the 100-year floodplain. However, the north section of the property has natural water flow after significant rainfall; this is the reason why we chose that section for our greenspace.
• founding members: Jessica & Robert Arjet (withdrawn); Julie Hart; Marc LeFebre & Thea Luong; Jay Marchand; Clifford May; Dave Sanford; Becky & Leif Weaver (withdrawn)
• Future Neighbor meeting: These are meetings held at members’ houses that are more formal than a potluck and less formal than a business meeting. The host announces the topic beforehand, and the meeting is lightly facilitated to keep the group more or less on that topic. Any member can hold a Future Neighbor meeting by announcing it and putting it on the calendar. [Note: We tend nowadays to use the term Conversation Café for this type of meeting, whether or not we follow the formal Conversation Café rules.]

G

• garages: Current plans are for up to eleven garage spaces (half a space in a double garage) to be built and sold to individual households. If fewer are purchased, fewer will be built. There will be storage over the garages for the use of the downstairs 1- and 2-bedroom units (because these will not have attic storage like the rest of the units.) There will also be some garage space for a community workshop.
• gated community: CAC decided early in our history that we would not be a gated community, but the developers will be building a security fence for the construction phase. The type of fence will change for different areas: from chain link in less visible areas to privacy fencing where desirable to attractive, higher-cost fencing at the entrance. We have not yet decided whether we will keep the gate or whether it will stay open all or part of the time. (See discussion in forum
• gates: See fences, gates, walls.
• gardening: There will be ample opportunities for gardening at KV. We will have an emphasis on permaculture landscaping. Some households have expressed a willingness (and eagerness) to let gardeners adopt their yard. There was a plan at one point to have gardening concentrated in the easternmost corner of the property, but I have heard more interest lately in distributed mini-gardens, some of which will double as ornamental landscaping. (See discussion in forum)
• graywater system: This was #10 on our contingency list, but had to be eliminated due to city restrictions.
• green: See Triangle Green.
• Green Energy program: See _______________. The common house and homes will have the highest energy rating of five stars.
• “green book”: Cohousing, A Contemporary Approach to Cohousing Ourselves, by Kathryn McCamant & Charles Durrett.
• group sense: A meeting technique where we are not trying to achieve consensus on a formal proposal, but to gauge the general feeling of the group on an issue. Frequently done as a round robin or by breaking into small groups to discuss and report back to the larger group.

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HIJ

• Heads, Hearts, and Hands: Required reading for all members.
• home schooling: We most likely will have several households that home-school their children. There will be lots of opportunities for resource-sharing among parents, and some non-parents have expressed an interest in helping out.
• Huffman, Richard: An affordable greenbuilder and developer of the Heritage Village neighborhood, and former owner of the KV property, which is a leftover piece from the HV development. Was the project manager for KV until May 2009.
• incentive discounts: In June 2002 and in August 2003, the founding households raised $75,000 capital contributions as seed money to bring cohousing to Austin. As an incentive for putting in this high-risk venture capital, we agreed that if we ever had a successful cohousing project, our homes would have an early-member discount. The rate of the discounts differed for different portions of the money, but the total amount of the promised discounts is around $48,000. (Total of capital contributions and incentive discounts of the initial seven members equals approximately $140,000.) Two of the households have withdrawn and been bought out. See also Founding Households.

KLM

• Kaleidoscope Village: This is the name of the community that KV Creation is building on behalf of Austin Cohousing. It will consist of 37 homes and a common house and common grounds.
• KV Creation LLP: The development company that is building KV. The original developers were Gregg Holtzman and Kevin Stotz. When Gregg pulled out of the project early on, CAC members Clifford May and Dave Sanford joined with Kevin to continue the project. Kevin Stotz was bought out in early 2009.
• landscape enhancement: This is #2 on our contingency list. It means that our landscaping will go beyond the standard development: more trees, a start on our ongoing permaculture process.
• LCE (limited common element): This is an area outside of the private homes, but designated for the exclusive use of one or more households. Yards are one type of LCE. Assigned parking and storage areas are examples of noncontiguous LCEs.
• matrix: See design matrix.
• Medina, Xavier: Central Austin Cohousing’s attorney. KV Creation LP has also used his services from time to time.

O

• OBE (“overcome by events”): Pronounced “oh-bee-ee.” When a decision or action item is no longer relevant due to a change in circumstances. Example: “That action item’s OBE because the deadline is already past.”
• observation tower: An architectural feature on the second floor of the common house.
• one-pop popcorn: A meeting technique where each person speaks only once, but in no particular order.

P

• parking lot (also called “in the box”): If a point or issue is off-topic but needs to be addressed, it will be written down by the scribe and put in the minutes so it is not forgotten. (Crosstown buses frequently end up in the parking lot.)
• parking spaces: The city determines how many parking spaces are required for a community, and our site meets those requirements. As of June 2009, the developers are intending to assign one parking space per unit as an LCE (still TBD is whether the four-bedroom units will have a second assigned space). Homes adjacent to parking will have an adjacent space assigned; for others, the developers will do their best to assign logically and fairly.
• permaculture: Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable and ecologically sound ways to live our lives in harmony with nature. It covers a wide range of topics including edible landscapes, integrating animals, organic growing, herb spirals, ponds, natural and green-building, maximizing food production with small scale intensive growing and designing self-maintaining landscapes. See also gardening.
• pets: Dogs must be on-leash or under proven voice command and are not allowed inside the common house. (We have talked about having an area on the common-house deck where well-behaved dogs can sit with their people, but this has not been presented yet as a formal proposal.) Outdoor cats are strongly discouraged but not banned; however, if your cat is using the grounds for a litter box or hunting, this will need to be dealt with. (Read the full policy.) See also dogs.
• playscape: This is #3 on the contingency list. It will be on the south side of the common house, visible from the laundry room and part of the deck. We have also talked about having a more natural play area with a lot of plants, sand, etc.
• pond: We initially planned a wetpond to handle both stormwater falling on our property and flood water that flows across the green space. The city never said ‘no,’ but kept asking for more studies and reports. Eventually, after a long delay that threatened the viability of the entire project, the developers pulled the wetpond concept and substituted a conventional detention pond.
• popcorn: in meetings, means that you don’t have to be recognized by the facilitator to speak
• process point: a question or comment on where we are in the process. “Are we still in clarifying questions or are have we moved onto discussion?”
• property taxes: Texas has no state income tax to fund schools, so local school districts get their funding from property taxes instead. This means that Texas property taxes tend to be high compared to other states.

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QR

• rainwater collection: This is #1 on our contingency list. The developers are planning for the collected water to be stored in underground cisterns that will feed directly into irrigation piping.
• recycling: We intend to have a robust recycling program. Details to be determined once we figure out how much curbside collection we will have and how many members are willing to pitch in.
• rental policy: There will be a 25% cap on non-owner occupancy; however, there is a hardship clause that will allow the community some leeway. There are no restrictions on renting out part of your home while you are living in it. We are currently discouraging the sale of units purely as rental investment properties, as we are wanting owners to buy with the intent of being part of a community.
• reserve fund: In a condominium, the reserve fund exists to cover periodic big-ticket expenses such as maintenance and replacement of common appliances.
• round robin: A meeting technique where each person in turn contributes their thoughts.

S

• scribe: at meetings, the scribe writes concerns, proposal wording, etc. on a large pad so everyone can see what’s being discussed.
• setback: Distance inside property line that you cannot build on. We have 10' (along the commercial boundary) and 20' setbacks (next to the single-family homes along Regency and Parliament).
• SMART Housing: CAC and the developers agreed on 3/19/2006 that we would apply for SMART Housing status. The first reason we wanted to do SMART Housing was to avoid having to re-invent the wheel when trying to balance the competing goals of mixed-income affordability, greenbuilding, healthy home. The second reason was to get the city's fee waivers and fast-tracking process for SMART developments (which turned out not to be so fast). The developers have applied for 20% SMART-qualified households; we have a fallback if that is not feasible of having 10% SMART-qualified households.
• solar power: See alternative energy.
• spare IT conduit: This was #6 on our contingency list, but the developers have decided to run CAT5 cable to all of the units anyway, so this is no longer needed as a contingency.
• stack, on: in meetings, the facilitator will keep track of who has raised their hand (so they don’t have to keep it raised), and call on them in order.
• stage: We will have a moveable stage in the common house dining room. A suggestion has been made (but not formally presented or consensed on) that we could have a small outdoor stage as well near the playscape for children to play on and to hold outside meetings.
• standing aside: when a member does not want to stand in the way of a decision but wants their concern minuted
• standing in the way: a member blocks consensus on a decision
• stars, green: See Green Energy program.
• storage: All of the townhomes and upstairs flats will have semi-conditioned attic space for storage. The downstairs 1- and 2-bedroom flats will have storage under the stairs that lead to the upper flat, and will also have some storage over the garages.
• swimming pool: This is #4 on our contingency list. Current plans are for it to be a “chlorine-free" salt pool. (Saltwater is sodium chloride, remember, so it’s not actually correct that a saltwater pool is chlorine free—but it is a lower concentration.) The community has indicated a strong desire to have some sort of pool.

T

• Texas Vernacular/Texas Eclectic: The architectural style of KV. Texas Vernacular is a traditional style developed before air-conditioning that uses metal roofs, deep overhangs, and carefully placed windows to minimize the sun. Texas Eclectic is a more modern and freewheeling version of Texas Vernacular.
• time czar: At general meetings, sits next to facilitator and keeps track of time allotted to items by agenda; also acts as co-facilitator if facilitator has to leave or wants advice on a process decision.
• toddler playroom: Designated room in the common house.
• treasurer: Richard Lowenthal is acting as treasurer for Austin Cohousing, and has opened a DBA account for us. (The previous treasurer was Dave Sanford; vice treasurer was Mary Korman)
• Triangle Green: one of the names for the common space bounded by the common house on one side and the units on the driveways on the other two sides.

UV

• unit: The private homes in a condominium.
• unit boundary: The unit boundary is the inner wall of your home, meaning that you are responsible for maintenance and upkeep on everything inside your home, including the interior walls, but the community as a whole is responsible for upkeep on the exterior.
• unit selection: Initial unit selection was held 2/18/2007 for CAC equity members. (Unit selection seniority was determined by a combination of joining date and activity.) A moratorium was then placed on further early reservations. In June 2009, three more households were offered an opportunity to reserve units to take the place of withdrawn members.
• visitability: See accessibility.

W

• walls: See fences, gates, walls
• work groups: A lot of workshare will be done by groups of community members who agree to take on a set of tasks. As long as the work gets done satisfactorily, workgroups can decide on their own how it gets done.
• workshare: One of six generally recognized principles of cohousing is self-management. In order to build community and to keep assessments reasonable, community members do much of the condo association work: everything from landscaping to doing the books. On 8/17/2008, we approved the Workshare Provisional Policy that we will start with (the policy will no doubt evolve as we actually put it into practce).
• workshop: This is #6 on our contingency list, and will consist of the garage at the corner of the west driveway near the entrance (it will need to be locked).

XYZ

• Xavier: Xavier Medina, Central Austin Cohousing’s attorney. The developers have also used his services from time to time.

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