Redwood Housing Collective: Process and Vision

Redwood Housing Collective: Process and Vision

The Redwood Housing Collective is composed of five current and former UC Berkeley students, together representing over 23 years in cooperative housing experience both in California and elsewhere. We are seeking to start a cooperative residential house in Berkeley or north Oakland of ten to fifteen members. Our mission is to provide affordable, community-minded, consensus-based, ecologically sustainable housing controlled by its residents and not subject to the vagaries of the San Francisco Bay Area housing market or the landlord-tenant relationship.

After spending much of the last year working out our legal structure, the collective finally incorporated recently as a California LLC (limited liability corporation) and as a mutual-benefit nonprofit. Prospective members should note that title of the house will be held by the organization rather than by individual residents, but residents completing a trial period will gain the decision-making powers of a member of the corporation.
Now, at the beginning of the process of searching for a house, we are looking to expand our core group of members. The ideal property, aside from being located in Berkeley or north Oakland, would possess a yard suitable for gardening, ample common spaces, room for work areas, and of course, lots of character.

We also hope to incorporate much that is ecologically mindful and socially conscious into our lives at Redwood Collective. Current members place great importance on things like recycling, composting and organics, for example, and a corollary to our mission of providing affordable co-op housing is the support of housing cooperatives elsewhere as well.
If you would have your neighbor as a friend, not a competitor, if you value diversity and open-mindedness, if you think of the kitchen as not just a place to eat but also as a place to debate the meaning of life with your housemates, then you should consider joining us.

The cost will depend on the actual property we end up buying, but we estimate that it will be around $600 per month, which includes utilities but not food. This is based on a target purchase price of $40,000 to $45,000 per bedroom, and it assumes a down payment of $4000 to $5000 per person. Due to the structure of the corporation and our desire to maintain its affordability over time, members will not accrue equity in the house. In the event you decide to leave however, you would be entitled to the return of your down payment plus appropriate interest. If you are interested, then please see how to contact us.

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Redwood Housing Collective: Process and Vision
	The Redwood Housing Collective is composed of five current and former UC Berkeley students, together representing over 23 years in cooperative housing experience both in California and elsewhere. We are seeking to start a cooperative residential house in Berkeley or north Oakland of ten to fifteen members. Our mission is to provide affordable, community-minded, consensus-based, ecologically sustainable housing controlled by its residents and not subject to the vagaries of the San Francisco Bay Area housing market or the landlord-tenant relationship.
After spending much of the last year working out our legal structure, the collective finally incorporated recently as a California LLC (limited liability corporation) and as a mutual-benefit nonprofit. Prospective members should note that title of the house will be held by the organization rather than by individual residents, but residents completing a trial period will gain the decision-making powers of a member of the corporation. Now, at the beginning of the process of searching for a house, we are looking to expand our core group of members. The ideal property, aside from being located in Berkeley or north Oakland, would possess a yard suitable for gardening, ample common spaces, room for work areas, and of course, lots of character.
	We also hope to incorporate much that is ecologically mindful and socially conscious into our lives at Redwood Collective. Current members place great importance on things like recycling, composting and organics, for example, and a corollary to our mission of providing affordable co-op housing is the support of housing cooperatives elsewhere as well. If you would have your neighbor as a friend, not a competitor, if you value diversity and open-mindedness, if you think of the kitchen as not just a place to eat but also as a place to debate the meaning of life with your housemates, then you should consider joining us.
The cost will depend on the actual property we end up buying, but we estimate that it will be around $600 per month, which includes utilities but not food. This is based on a target purchase price of $40,000 to $45,000 per bedroom, and it assumes a down payment of $4000 to $5000 per person. Due to the structure of the corporation and our desire to maintain its affordability over time, members will not accrue equity in the house. In the event you decide to leave however, you would be entitled to the return of your down payment plus appropriate interest. If you are interested, then please see how to contact us.