Bay State Commons Vision Statement
As written during visioning workshop facilitated by Kraus-Fitch Architects November 17, 2013

We intend to create a cohousing community that fosters group cohesiveness and serendipitous social interaction between neighbors.
We envision a community in the Boston’s Metro North area with a small-town character and an emphasis on beauty in both architecture and landscape.
We value a balance between the private and the shared, with individually-owned homes supplemented by extensive common facilities and shared green space.
We seek a diverse, multi-generational community with residents who are eager to participate in both design and governance.
We promote an environment that encourages social serendipity:
- We will design our community to facilitate unplanned socializing.
- We aim to build a community which enables a natural and easy transition from private space to shared community space.We strike a balance between private lives and community needs:
- We prioritize the needs of the individual in private spaces, and the needs of thecommunity in public spaces.
- We respect the privacy of the home.
- Our community will make space for both privately owned homes and shared common facilities.
We promote a cohesive community:
- We think of our community as a family of choice.
- We plan to have community meals on a regular basis.
- Our members enrich each other through exchange of knowledge, shared projects, and hobbies.
- Our community shares in music and celebration.
- Our community is defined by our care and respect for one another and for our common spaces.
We foster participation in our community:
- We follow an efficient consensus-based decision making model.
- We promote good communication and conflict resolution.
- We encourage our members to participate in the design process.
- We plan to welcome participation of renters in community governance.
We promote diversity in our community:
- Our community will be inclusive to people of different social, economic, generational, and racial backgrounds, as well as all sexual orientations and gender identities.
- We will provide a range of unit sizes and prices.
- We will strive for cost efficiency for individual units.
- We will provide accessibility to differently abled people.
- We promote sustainability in our community:
- We support an ecologically sustainable lifestyle.
- We strive for energy efficiency in our community buildings.
- We will reduce redundancy by sharing selected resources and costly equipment. (We are not an income-sharing community.)
- We strive to reduce fuel use through car sharing and a bike-friendly atmosphere.
We picture a small-town character:
- We strive for a warm and welcoming atmosphere for both residents and guests.
- Our community will be a safe and nurturing environment in which to raise children.
- Our ideal community size is 20-30 units.
- Some or all units will have immediate access to outdoors (private entrances).
- We will use landscaping and architecture to create a peaceful captive green space full of natural beauty.We intend to place our community in a convenient location:
Our community will have access to quality public schools.
- The commuting time to Park Street station will be under 1 hour.
- Our community will be within one mile of regular public transit.
- Our community will have easy access, by foot or bicycle, to basic services and downtown areas.
- Our community will be within biking distance to conservation land (if possible).