Author: Doug Tindal

Where Wine on the Porch lives

What if Wine on the Porch had really happened? What if it had filled up with interesting characters? As if maybe Dave and Morley had had a chance to grow old with their friends…

Cover of the book "Tales from Wine on the Porch"

That’s the premise of Tales from Wine on the Porch, a collection of fictional short stories now available in both paperback and Kindle editions.

Many people have imagined growing old in a home shared with friends. In the house called Wine on the Porch, seven seniors – and two seniors-in-training – bring the fantasy to life. Their adventures inspire this charming collection of short stories filled with warmth, laugh-out-loud humour, and the joys of being old enough to know better – and old enough not to care. 

Dining together most evenings is a treasured part of their interwoven lives, and a favourite recipe accompanies each of the twenty-four stories. 

Pull up a chair. May we pour you a glass of Wine on the Porch?

Short notice free webinar

TOMORROW, Jan 20, 8pm ET, the Canadian Cohousing Network is hosting a free webinar, From Dream to Reality, with Katie McCamant. No charge, but advance registration is required.

Katie McCamant has worked as an architect, developer, development consultant with dozens of North American communities over the last 35 years. Katie will share some of the lessons learned from working with a wide variety of cohousing groups and specifically, key points to succeeding in creating your community. Bring your questions for Katie as she’ll try to leave plenty of time for that.

As I was saying…

Hello, yeah, it’s been a while.
Not much, how ’bout you?

Not much changes in the world of co-housing/coliving, as this column by Charles Montgomery shows.

“We built a home to solve some of the greatest challenges of our times. But almost nobody is following in our path. Why? Our home is illegal almost everywhere…”

Read the column

That’s it. As you were.

Barrie owner seeks people who play well with others

Richard Pearson owns a three-bedroom, 2800-square-foot home on a large lot in Barrie, just 400 meters from Kempenfelt Bay. He says it’s solid, but needs a little polishing up.

He loves the place but feels ‘house-poor.’ He’d love to find two or three people to buy in and share the place with him. There was a feature about him in the Toronto Star last year.

As a ballpark estimate, Pearson figures the home is worth about $800,000 and he’d like to retain a third ownership. Two other shares would cost about $270,000 each.

Interested? Contact Richard for more info at rpirskanen ‘at’ hotmail.com.

Peterborough site for new cohousing venture

Kawartha Commons Cohousing (KCC) is hosting a public presentation at 401 Richmond Street West, Toronto Room 303, on Tuesday, December 3 at 5pm. Here is their email invitation: 

Would you like to be part of a supportive neighbourhood without compromising your privacy? Are you looking for an alternative to the Toronto housing market? Are you seeking a dynamic community with a vibrant cultural life?

If the answer is “Yes”, then KCC might be just what you’re searching for. In this presentation, you’ll learn about the many benefits of living together in a well-planned cohousing community, and how KCC is making this happen. Join us to find out what cohousing and Peterborough have to offer you.

KCC was formed in 2017, and has since grown to over 30 motivated and committed members. They have identified a site in Peterborough with great potential for their unique community, and they are actively working to acquire it.

Please RSVP by filling in this form. For more information, visit KCC at www.kawarthacommons.ca, or contact them at info@kawarthacommons.ca.

Why is zoning a problem?

CBC’s mini-documentary program Out in the Open with the ebullient Piya Chattopadhyay recently re-ran its segment on us and, although they updated the introduction to indicate that we were no longer a going concern, we’re now getting a flurry of new contacts.

One deserves a public response because it may be helpful to others.

Nils S. writes:

I’m curious to understand what issue the city of Toronto had with zoning? 

There are many houses in Toronto owned by multiple parties that are single family residential zoned.

 
If in the building there is just one kitchen and X number of bedroom / private spaces occupied by each owner how does that not fit into single family residential? 

Perhaps my understanding is wrong and you wanted to convert a house into x number of individual self contained apartments (ie private bedroom + kitchen like a condo) instead of just private bedroom space.

Your understanding is correct as far as it goes, Nils.

The City of Toronto no longer uses the term “single family dwelling,” which was part of the previous zoning bylaw. Instead, it refers to “residential dwelling houses.” This change came about at least in part because the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner pointed out to cities that they lack the constitutional authority to determine who makes up a family.

So, yes, for practical purposes a single kitchen means a single residential dwelling house, no matter who lives in it, and that’s what we were planning.

And if we had been prepared simply to buy and occupy an existing house, there would be no problem.

However, if you want to create something purpose-built or, as in our case, a combination of renovation and addition, you are likely to face two challenges.

The first problem is in part of our own making. The millennials who are most often among those purchasing and sharing houses don’t seem to mind sharing bathrooms. We do. In our plan, every bed-sitting room would include its own, fully accessible bathroom.

The problem arises, at least potentially, when you go to get your building permit. Architecturally, the plans look very similar to a rooming house. In many parts of the city, rooming houses are not permitted. It’s not a rooming house but it looks like a rooming house. So a permit may be questioned on that score. (We never got this far, but that is the advice we heard from a city planner early in our process.)

The second problem is more fundamental and here we have to get into the weeds a bit. Bear with me.

Once you say you’re building a residential dwelling house, you fit into a specific category that has a whole host of other conditions attached to it. One of these is density. In most of Toronto, the permitted density for lands zoned for residential dwelling houses is 0.6. This means that the area of finished living space cannot exceed 0.6 of the area of the property.

In our case, for example, our property measured 70 by 100, for 7,000 square feet, and our allowable density is 7000 x 0.6 = 4,200 square feet.

But we wanted 6,000 square feet: approximately 500 square feet for each of six private spaces, and another 3,000 for common space. This non-compliance with the zoning bylaw means we would have had to apply for a variance, which, as I explained in a previous post, adds both time and money to the process.

If Toronto (or any other city) wants to encourage seniors cohousing or coliving, it needs to do four things:

  1. Create seniors cohousing/coliving as a recognized type within the zoning bylaw, and provide it with an appropriate framework. Give people an opportunity to comply with a reasonable set of standards and then execute their plans “as of right.” Currently, by contrast, the need for a variance is almost guaranteed. Additionally, within the terms of the seniors cohousing type, it needs to consider the following, listed in order of importance.
  2. Relax density restrictions.
  3. Reduce or eliminate parking requirements where appropriate (we are literally a few steps from the subway, but there was still a question as to whether we would be required to provide a parking space for each unit);
  4. Reduce or eliminate development charges.

Planners and policy makers know this, but they’re reluctant to act. Every area of the city has its NIMBY squad on a hair trigger, and there is really no effective countervailing force.

To quote Kurt Vonnegut and Inspector Clouseau: “So it goes; it’s all part of life’s rich pageantry, you know?”

There will always be wine…

… but Wine on the Porch is putting the cork back in the bottle.

We gave it three years. We talked with our friends, held information sessions, organized a well attended workshop and got enough media attention to make the Raving Orange Man jealous… and at the end of all that, having met hundreds and engaged with dozens of wonderful people, the four of us who began this journey find ourselves on our own again.

We enjoyed the process thoroughly. Each new conversation informed our vision and helped clarify our goals. The people who gave their time to meet with us over plans and potlucks enriched our lives with their varied experiences and perspectives. Among them we found some lasting friendships.

But…

In a nutshell, the people who most wanted to do this couldn’t afford it, and many of those who could afford it didn’t wanna do it. That’s much too simplistic, of course, but there’s a kernel of truth to it. When you come at cohousing from a position of wealth, you’re more likely to look on it as a sacrifice.

The very things we chose as our key benefits, like promoting community through a shared kitchen, were often seen as drawbacks. We didn’t see it as giving anything up, but rather as gaining: gaining friends to cook and bake with, gaining the freedom not to cook every day, having a broader repertoire of recipes and skills…. But this perspective was shared only rarely.

Cost became an increasingly difficult issue. Part of that was because of choices we made, for example wanting to be in Toronto on a subway line. Part of it was the wild escalation of Toronto real estate over the past few years, and the construction boom that elevates Toronto construction costs, we’re told, 30 percent above other parts of Ontario.

Some costs are added because of zoning bylaws that don’t recognize cohousing, and specifically seniors cohousing, as a valid development type. From a policy standpoint, city planners and politicians love what we were trying to do, but the zoning bylaw won’t permit it without a variance — a procedure that can add $100,000 or more, and a year or longer.

Our last straw came in late January.

We had gathered five potential partners, two couples and three singles, who had chosen to become Associate Members and engage in a five-session process leading toward full membership.

Two days before our first meeting, we had a call from our architect. As of January 1, he told us, a new regulation had come into force, putting us under the jurisdiction of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. (Yes, it turns out we really are on a ravine.)

In other words, we would now need a sign-off from the Conservation Authority even before we could talk to the city. ‘This is brand new so we don’t really know what it means yet,’ our architect told us, ‘but for planning purposes you should probably add, oh, $40,000 and another six months.’

We think the new regulation is probably good policy, but for us it was crippling. Some associate members were concerned about the additional cost. Some were concerned about the extended timeline. And all were daunted by the new uncertainty. One by one, with regret, they withdrew. (We get the very best break-up notes!)

The four of us took some time to reflect. We set aside March 1 to consider next steps. And we decided that we would call it a day.

We continue to believe that what we were proposing is a good option for seniors housing and that it will come in time, but we are at peace with the fact that, here and now, we will not be the ones to build it.

We have some sadness about the end of this vision, of course, but we have no regrets. It’s been a great experience.

This blog will remain for whatever help it may be to others, but it will be updated only rarely (if at all).

For those who are interested in other developments in cohousing, I’ll continue to aggregate news and information over on our Facebook page.

One final thought that we take some comfort in.

Our primary motivation through all this has been the desire to create a robust and resilient community. But community, in the final analysis, is not dependent on architecture. Yes, some forms of architecture facilitate community and some detract from it. But ultimately, the quality of your community depends on the dedication you put into it nurturing and sustaining it.

We’ll carry that thought with us to the next step, where ever it turns out to be.

Thanks for being part of this journey with us and for the many words of encouragement you’ve shared. We’re not sure where the next porch is, but there will always be wine.

Cheers!

The future of seniors housing?

I wrote earlier about attending a workshop on re-imagining seniors housing organized by SE Health and Sidewalk Labs.

Sidewalk is the Google-related company working with Waterfront Toronto to design a technology-enabled community. SE Health sees the future of seniors health care taking place mainly in the home. The two wanted to get some intel on how they could better meet needs for access to in-home health care.

SE Health has now produced its report and findings from the workshop. You probably need to be a bit of a wonk to really appreciate it, but everybody needs to feed their inner wonk from time to time, so…