All About Us
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The Marsh Commons cohousing community currently has nine member families.
- Joyce Plath is one of the original founders of the project and chief designer. She has an architecture and development practice and has two sons, Evan (22) and Tim (17). She hopes to be traveling to the far reaches of the globe soon to design eco-lodges, returning to tell us of her adventures.
- Steve Gustafson is an environmental health specialist working in the groundwater protection program for the County Health Department. He is an athlete and enjoys running, cycling, and Ultimate Frisbee. He has two children: Kelsey (9) and Huxley (4).
- Tom Harper is a psychiatrist and our committee manager. He writes meeting minutes with great humor.
- Kit Crosby-Williams is a marriage and family therapist. She is a gardener, owns a horse, and is one of our founding members. She has three grown children and three grandchildren. She is currently deeply interested in working as a mediator.
- Pasquale Romano is a therapist and father of 6 year-old Dominic. He recently started his own counciling business.
- Peter and Sara Starr moved from the East Coast to be with the project. Sara is a seasoned consultant to the natural food industry. Peter's degree in permaculture has contributed to our dedication to use sustainable building and landscape strategies.
- John Sears is a building
inspector currently living in
- Brian and Lara Cox have two
children, Sarah (13) and Jeremy (11). Brian is the director of
Environmental Health for
- Frank and Danette Nemetz are the parents of Aaron (1), Skylar (5), and Jordan (9). Frank is a hydraulic technician with a design eye of an artist. Danette is a hair stylist.
Our group meets twice a month to
discuss business at hand. Because each member has different talents, skills,
and interests, we all take on jobs on one or more committees, such as
landscaping, recycling, finance, meal organization, and Common House management
The group also occasionally meets for gardening, cleaning, landscaping
projects. We share meals on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday with everyone taking
turns cooking in groups of two. Several friends and neighbors cook and eat with
us on a regular basis, expanding our connections and contributing to lively
dinner conversation.
This process of building our community has been an enriching experience for us all. We anticipate having even more fun once the bulk of the work is done and the last four households have moved in. Perhaps you are one of the people who will complete our community.
We have a guest room ($10 per night) and welcome visitors who are interested in joining our group. If you are interested in visiting, contact Lara Cox at 707-825-9275.
![[iris]](http://redwood.northcoast.com/~startrak/iris.gif)
The City of Arcata
Arcata has a population
of approximately 15,000 full-time residents. There are 7,000 college students
at Humboldt State University in downtown
Arcata. Arcata sits on the edge of Arcata and Humboldt Bay and the Pacific
Ocean, 250
miles north of San Francisco. The town sports a large oyster fishery, and
salmon, dungeness crabs, and other interesting marine life inhabit the local
waters. The town is on a coastal plain and is surrounded by daffodil and dairy
farms and redwood forests. There is little-to-no suburban or urban sprawl for
200 miles in any direction. From the center of town you can ride your bike to
the
Because of the local university, there is a surfeit of cultural
opportunities, belying the relatively small population of the city. There are
several full-time theater groups, two
independent movie theaters, and a
constant inflow of visiting
entertainment. Humboldt County has
the highest number of artists per capita in the
Homes for Sale
We still have four homes available for sale, priced from $175,000 to $195,000 plus a share of the common house. Two are three-bedroom houses (1,680 square feet) and two will contain four bedrooms (1,800 square feet). The units are under flexible mixed zoning and the lowest levels of each home have optional separate entrances and can be used for shop, office, rental unit, extra bedrooms, or family room. Each lower space is plumbed for a bath and kitchen. As you can see from the photographs, our homes feature natural lighting, solar access, views of the marsh, fabulous sunsets, and home-office lofts that include high-speed Internet connections. Carefully built acoustic walls keep sound from transferring between homes giving us the best of privacy and community. All of our homes are contemporary in design with skylights, large cathedral windows, and decks.
For more information contact Peter and Sara Starr at startrak@northcoast.com (707 822 9178), or Joyce Plath JoycePlath@aol.com ( 707-822-1860), or Lara Cox (707 825 9275).
View Some of the Blueprints |
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Marsh Commons |
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