Living in community requires a significant amount of coordination and consensus. Common decisions have to be made about shared facilities, including how they are maintained, preserved, developed, shared, and used. The following list of questions are a minor portion of all the questions one might ask about living in cohousing. If these don't cover your questions, feel free to call our tour person.

Note: Use the links above to help scroll through this long document.

I. Common House (Common House Committee)

What are the policies around locking and not locking the doors of the Common House?
All Common House doors are kept locked at all times, unless the CH is currently in use. Last person out needs to check and lock ALL doors, upstairs and down (not just the one you're using!) Also, make sure all lights are turned off (with the exception of the one switch inside the common house front doors).

What are the rules in using laundry facilities? Who’s a contact person for the washer/dryers?
Please use your own laundry detergent products and please use the magnets to prevent wash "gridlock" (e.g., "okay to dry", etc.) Please also assist the movement of laundry by helping with common house linens and other people’s wash as indicated by the magnets. Consider doing your wash during non-peak hours; peak hours are typically weekends and evenings. Please clean up after yourself and empty the lint filters from dryers. The common house committee is the contact for the washer/dryers.

Can I reserve the common house for private events? How do I do it?
Yes, the common house can be reserved for private events, in accordance with the community-adopted guidelines for common house use.

What are the guidelines for using the guest room?
Please review guest room guidelines and please sign up directly on the common house calendar.

How do I get mail and packages? sorting the mail

Mail is delivered to a group mailbox on the street, and a PRCA volunteer distributes to the individual common house mailboxes. Please let us know if you receive mail under any other names (personal or business).

Any guidelines re: use of the tv? living room furniture? piano? The basement play area? the swing set?
Generally speaking, be considerate of your neighbors. Always clean up after yourself and your guests. Be gentle with furniture and equipment, and make sure supervised children use the swing set safely and appropriately.

What are policies around copy machine use?
The copy machine (basement of common house) is available for your use for all community copies as well as personal copies. Please record all personal copies on the log (there is no need to record community business copies). You will be “billed” for your copies in the future, at $.10 per page. Please use only clean paper in the machine. The maintenance management committee is the contact for the copy machine.

What are the rules for using the shop? Can anyone use anything at any time? Remove
tools and take home to use? Use power tools? What kind of projects can be done in the common house (i.e. painting, smelly stuff, chemicals). The committee is currently developing guidelines for shop use.

II. Meals (Meals Committee)

What are the expectations for cooking and clean-up for meals?
Each adult member participating in meals will provide: 2 cooking shifts per month; or 2 cleaning shifts per month; or one of each; or four shopping shifts. (talk to a committee member before signing up to shop). If people don’t sign up to cook and clean, meals get cancelled! Please sign up early in the month for your cooking/and or cleaning shifts. Young adults are also encouraged to sign up to help as well. Cooks are also encouraged to clean up while cooking as much as possible.

How much do meals cost, and how far in advance do I need to sign up?
Meals are currently $3.50 for adults; it’s parents’ choice (honor system) for children’s meals. Generally speaking, you must sign up two to three days in advance to eat. If you haven’t signed up and the sheet is gone, it may still be possible to eat, if the shopping hasn’t been done yet; call the shopper. common house meal dishwashing

How are the menus chosen?
The meals committee develops a menu calendar for the month, blending both tried and true recipes and new ventures. Please offer suggestions of any menus to them, or prepare your own recipe at a “cooks choice” meal.

Can I bring guests?
Guests are welcome, and must be signed up through the same system as the residents. Their hosts are charged for their meal through the meals billing system.

How do I pay for meals?
The meals committee provides a monthly bill; please pay as quickly as possible, so that meals shoppers can be reimbursed.

What if I have a dietary restriction?
Talk to the meals committee about your needs. The committee generally tries to accommodate vegetarians and non-dairy requirements.

Can we take leftovers home?
Yes, after everyone has eaten and all “set-aside” plates have been made. What if I sign up for a dinner but can’t be there? Sign up on the “set aside” column on the dinner sign up sheet. The cooks will set aside your dinner for you.

Is the food organic?
Chicken, rice and beans are always organic. Other organic items are purchased as well, when the pricing does not exceed more than twice the cost of non-organic food.

Can I borrow equipment or food from the common house?
Please make sure the equipment is not needed for an upcoming meal. Write the borrowed equipment on the sign-in sheet in the kitchen, and return as soon as you are finished with it. Borrowing food from the common house is discouraged. central courtyard

What are the responsibilities for cleaning up after meals?
See clean-up guidelines sheet.

What are the alcohol policies for the common house?
Individual households may bring alcohol with them to meals, but alcohol is not to remain on the premises after meals or parties. Meal money is not used to purchase alcohol.

What if I want to donate equipment/materials to the kitchen or to the common house?
Please discuss with the common house committee first for their approval. Materials from households with pets are generally discouraged, due to allergies.

III. Dues (Finance Committee)

When and how do I pay dues?
Write your check to PRCA. Deposit the check before or on the 10th of the month into the “Association Dues” folder in the Finance Committee section of the Association file box. Amount: Each household receives a copy of the dues schedule for the year. A copy can also be found in the “Association Dues” folder. The Finance Committee can also provide a copy of the schedule. If you wish to pay more than one month’s dues, please make note of that on your check.

What if my dues are late?
Households will be assessed $10 for each month that dues are late (after 10th of month). Example: A household misses paying dues in January. The household proceeds to pay in February and March without making up the January dues. By March 11, the household owes $30 in late fees.
The Finance Committee sends a copy of the dues account to each household periodically to alert households that are in arrears, but it is each household’s responsibility to keep track of its dues payments.

How are the dues set?
The dues level is set each fall for the following year, according to a formula which divides households’ share of the total Association assets and expenses according to two factors: 35% of the Association’s budgeted expenses is distributed equally among the households. 65% of the adopted budget is distributed among the households based on the percentage share of total PRCA living area owned by the household. This share is determined by a weighted formula which allots value to living space according to four factors: Access, Height, Natural Light, and Finishing (covering over walls, ceilings and floors). Details in PRCA minutes: “CEL Reapportionment Consensus, October 25, 1997.”

What do dues pay for?
Maintenance and repair of building exteriors, Common House interior, and grounds and landscaping outside of limited common elements (private yards). (See Condominium Documents for details of Association responsibility.)
Water, sewer and garbage for entire community; heat, electricity and telephone for Common House.

Condominium association insurance?
See Condominium Documents for details of Association responsibility.

What is the yearly budget based upon?
Three main categories of expenditure comprise the annual budget: Savings for long-term replacement reserves (such as new roofs, etc.); normal maintenance and repair; and capital projects (large-scale projects that are outside normal committee yearly expenditures) that fall under new capital projects guidelines. informal gathering

What is the yearly budgeting process?
Beginning in October, the Finance Committee gathers estimates from PRCA committees on projected expenses for the next year, updates the Replacement Reserve schedule, and initiates the process for approval of specific capital projects. In December, the group consenses on the new budget and the dues level for the coming year. Since its inception in l994, PRCA has not had to make dues adjustments in midyear.

IV. Parking (Outdoor Stuff Committee)

What are the parking rules? (Outdoor walkways, Equip and Parking Maintenance Comm.)
Each unit is entitled to one off-street parking spot (we have 23 units and 23 spots). Units living over the parking garages are automatically assigned a garage parking spot (as partial compensation for living with the noise and vibration of the garage doors).
The opportunity to use one of the remaining underground parking spots rotates between the other units. This rotation happens each September. Each unit entitled to a spot in a garage claims a particular parking space for the year, and does not park in anyone else's space. Parking spaces are extremely tight. Please park as far back as possible to make room for others. Please also make sure all garage doors are locked and closed.

How to reduce garage noise for living units above garages?
The noise comes from people, car engines, doors, and the electric garage door (noise and vibration). Be careful not to slam your car doors or the garage "people doors". (Note that the side entrance “people doors” to both garages is directly under bedrooms.) F garage

Please do not talk, sing, play your car radio or otherwise makes unnecessary sounds while in the garages. Consider parking on the street if you are arriving home very late at night or will be leaving very early in the morning, as opening the garage (auto) door may wake any people sleeping above the garage.

How to reduce car exhaust for living units above garages?

Open the garage door BEFORE starting your car.
Do not close the garage door until AFTER you have shut OFF your car.
If you have things to unload from the car, leave the garage door OPEN until you are ready to leave the garage completely.
If you will be leaving again in the same day, please, as much as possible, park on the street rather than in the garage. [Most of the poisons are released from the engine in the first thirty minutes after your car is parked; parking a hot engine in the garage several times in a day dumps a lot of extra CO into the air.]
And, please NEVER leave your engine running in the garage to "warm up" (or for any other reason).

Can I store anything in the garage?
The two parking garages are currently used for cars, bicycle storage (F) and some overhead canoe, kayak and surfboard storage. Due to the small size of the parking spaces and the difficulty with maneuvering cars into and out of the garages, other storage is discouraged.

What about storage in other areas?
Common House: No personal storage in the Common House, upstairs or down. Tools for shared use may be kept in the shop; discuss with the Shop, Tools and Storage Maintenance committee
Basement E11: No personal storage in E11's basement. Yard maintenance tools for shared use may be kept there; also, ladders and misc. maintenance equipment, all for shared use. Please do not enter this basement before 9 AM or after 9 PM unless arrangements have been previously made with E11's household. Please keep this basement locked at all times.

V. Meetings (People Committee)

What’s the meetings calendar and time frames?
Generally speaking, community meetings are held once a month, Saturday mornings from 9:30 am to 12 noon.

How are meeting agendas created?
Standing agenda items include joys and concerns, announcements, and committee reports. The people committee requests agenda items in advance of the meeting. Any person or committee can request to have an item put on the agenda.

How are decisions made?
Decisions are made by consensus or in very rare circumstances when consensus cannot be reached, by vote. The strongest decisions are made with full participation from all community members in identifying concerns, questions and possible alternative solutions.
The process generally looks like this:

An individual or committee identifies an idea, issue or project that needs community attention;
Initial discussion at community meeting-identify questions, concerns, and feelings and identify next steps, get additional input, research, etc.
Proposal (which addresses questions and concerns) is distributed to households seven days in advance of community meeting and discussed at meeting;
Call for consensus at the next meeting. This gives members at least two opportunities to discuss issues before decisions are made.
See the “Decision of the Community” handout for more information on the PRCA community decision-making process.

What if I have concerns about a community proposal?
All community members are expected to raise their questions, suggestions and concerns about proposals in advance of decisions, either at a community meeting or directly with the proposing committee or individual. What if I have concerns about a community decision, after the fact? A request can be made at any time to revisit a decision that appears to not be in the best interest of the community.

VI. Neighborhood Relations (People Committee)

Who are our neighbors outside of cohousing?
We live in a rich multicultural, multilingual and multi-economic neighborhood. Immediate neighbors on 17th and 18th SW are Latino (with Spanish as their first language), Cambodian, Filipino, Samoan, African, Vietnamese, Indian (from India), African American and European American. In order to build cohousing, we needed (and got) neighborhood support and we are indebted.

Who are the kids in the neighborhood? kids at play

Puget Ridge is one of the most child-populated areas in the city. It is also one of the neighborhoods least served by children and youth recreational and other after-school services.
Our pedestrian path is a heavily used “shortcut” for neighborhood children to Sanislo playfield. We greet and often introduce ourselves to children that we don’t know who are walking through. Our approach is “you are welcome on our private property, as long as you treat us (and the property) with respect”. We discourage children and adults from bringing dogs through the property. We encourage children to walk their bikes or ride slowly. We discourage kids from walking through private yards, or from playing on the property without being with another cohousing child or adult.

What projects are happening in the neighborhood?
Delridge Neighborhood Development Association is the primary “mover and shaker” organization in this neighborhood, with development of affordable housing, preservation of open space, construction of a Delridge library, and other projects.
In addition, the Puget Ridge Community Council and the Delridge District Council have been involved in advocating for additional bus service, crime prevention and intervention, building relationships between neighbors, environmental clean-ups and preservation, etc. Over the coming year, The Puget Ridge Community Council will be meeting the first Thursday of the month in November, February and May.

How does Puget Ridge Cohousing deal with politics?
While many of us are involved in politics as individuals, we have never taken a “group position” on a political campaign. We have also made the decision to confine political signs to our private property (cars, house windows, etc.) and not on our common property (parking strips on 17th, 18th and SW Myrtle).

What’s our relationship with Sanislo School?
We currently have Sanislo Elementary School parents. PRCA members have also been active with the playground expansion. Other cohousers are tutors during the school day. In past years, we have: gotten City funds to improve the basketball hoops, and install the traffic circles; donated holiday food and gifts to needy families; cut grass on the 18th SW side of Sanislo school, and other projects.

What are our external relations policies?
Our community respects each resident’s need for and right to a comfortable level of privacy. We do not give out information that could identify individuals or families, including information that could be personally identifying, such as info on occupations, religion, ethnicity, place of birth, health issues, sexual orientation, political affiliation, age, name, place of employment and income.
PRCA conducts limited tours with advance community notification. Cohousing neighbors should also be notified in advance of any outside common house events; please put a note on the common house door and the whiteboard. Please see the attached external relations policies for more information.

VII. Animal Control

What about pets in the common house?
Pets are NEVER to be present in the common house, due to severe allergies of some households here.

How do I discourage rat activity in and around my house?

No standing water, buckets that fill up with rain, birdbaths, etc..
Keep brush and debris away from house by 8" to a foot
Clear out brush piles, wood piles and anyplace that rats would like to hide
Keep pet food inside, pet waste picked up, and pet doors CLOSED, preferably. all the time but especially at night.

What are the pet rules?
Dogs must be on leash or voice command at all times. Dog and cat owners are asked to keep pet food inside as a rat control measure. They are also asked to pick up pet waste, in yards and common areas. Cat owners are also asked to protect houses and trees from claw-sharpening behavior.