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Loading ...Olivia starts first lesbian housing development
Dlugacz said that the idea of building this sort of community has been kicking around at Olivia for a long time. But last April, a few Olivia frequent travlers approached her with an idea: buy a 1996 condominium complex that had converted to rentals when the market bottomed out.
Dlugacz and her partner Rachel Wahba went to Tuscon to review the property and look over the area. What they found was a complex with a swimming pool, fitness center and clubhouse, nestled in a gay-friendly town.“I just thought this would be perfect, because we didn’t want to start from scratch,” said Dlugacz.
To test the idea, she decided to do a little market research.
One evening, when she was speaking to an audience of 900 on an Olivia trip, she asked, “How would you all feel about a community that I’ve been talking about for 18 years? It would be in Arizona, one to three bedroom condos, and you’d have to buy now. How many of you would be interested?”
Half of the people raised their hands eagerly. Dlugacz continued, “No, no, no. You would have to do it now.”
About 450 people raised their hands again, and Olivia Communities started to become a reality.
Interest has been fairly high so far, within two weeks of sending out the July email that Davis and Bender responded to, Olivia had received 40 deposits and hundreds of enqueries. Dlugacz said that when 400 women have sent in deposits that construction will begin. About half of those expressing interest would live there year- round; half would use the property for a getaway, a winter home, an investment or eventual retirement.
An intentional year-round lesbian community may be a first, but the idea makes sense, said Nicholas Dagen Bloom, a social science professor at the New York Institute of Technology. He said that there is an American tradition of wanting to establish a community based upon similar ideas and filled with like-minded people.
“A sense of greater control over your environment, and a lack of environmental disturbances drives people to creating and inhabit planned communities,” said Bloom.
Bloom said that usually groups create these sorts of planned communities out of fear of difference or crime. But that didn’t seem to be the case here. “I find it interesting that a group, LGBT people, already unconventional in itself, is going off and creating its own intentional community. I don’t think there’s anything else like that. There are certainly enclaves and cities that are known as highly gay-populated areas, but an intentionally planned suburban-type community is something new,” he said.
Though perhaps this sort of community will become more common as gays and lesbians are more accepted. Bloom said there was a demographic boom of gays and lesbian moving to the suburbs and wanting a more conventional life – and a suburban housing development is nothing if not conventional.
Locals expect the new development to fit in fine with the rest of Tuscon. “I’m sure there is a faction of the community that will react negatively to this kind of development,” but when an LGBT resort opened in town a few years ago, “the public reaction was good,” said Cindy Jordan-Nowe, co-chairwoman for City of Tucson Commission on GLBT issues.
“Tucson is a very inclusive community, years beyond other places in the country as far as embracing diversity and accepting and protecting LGBT people,” Nowe said. The city has a large transgender community and several anti-discrimination laws in effect.
Dlugacz is optimistic about the area and believes in the future of the project. Though it is a time of economic hardship and developers are scrambling to find home buyers, Dlugacz projects Olivia Communities will be one of the only successful developments this year.
“We have such a connection with the [lesbian] community, and there is such a trust in Olivia…that says a lot about who we are,” says Dlugacz. She noted that Olivia has been a mainstay of the lesbian community for over 35 years.
Davis and Bender say this is why they put down their money so quickly. “It’s a pretty gutsy move to commit to living in a place we’ve never been or seen,” said Davis. “Knowing their philosophy… and their reliability, and their level of standards, there is just a built in trust for us.”
For more information, call 1-888-855-8649 visit www.OliviaCommunities.com
©365Gay.com 2008
why bother cant get hitched there
ReplyI think this is great. I have one question though - is this open to gay men or to lesbians only? If only to lesbians, that just fine and I support that. However, if a gay man opens a similiar place and that place is also only open to other gay men - there would be no justification for complaints that it discriminates against lesbians. I support a persons rite to chose a very specific kind of experience and if that experience, whether it be housing or a private event etc. is limited (or some would say seperatist) - that’s just fine - they are paying for that specific experience. However, I do not support lesbian only arrangements if those same women then complain about arrangements that are “male only” either. To my thinking, having as many options as possible is best. Mixed gay and lesbian, gay only and lesbian only. Some would say that in an ideal world, one sex only arrangements would not be necessary but that misses the point entirely. Wanting a specific arrangement isn’t a bad thing because specific arrangments have a distinct dynamic that is not in play when it is more broad based. e.g. a gay male bar that has a large number of straight women in it is quite a different experience than when it is gay men only. It doesn’t make either scenario good or bad, but they ARE different and when people are using their money, they should be able to choose the experience they most want with that money. Of course, there are legal concerns and some would cry “discrimination” but there are ways around that. I’m an options person and the more options the better - what I don’t like is a double standard applied to one patr of the GLBT community and not applied to all. Having said all that, I wish all involved the best of luck in this endeavor.
Reply[...] Read more at 365gay.com. [...]
ReplyReally dumb business plan. Who would want to invest in a house in a state where your partner has no rights ?
This would be a great idea if it was in Massachusetts or California or….
But Arizona is busily working on amending their constitution and taking away what few rights lesbians DO have in this state.
Buyer beware
ReplyWe gays have been touting diversity for years now. Is this what it’s all about? Segregating ourselves in an upscale gay ghetto?
ReplyNo Jay, this isn’t “what this is all about”. One can be for diversity but not feel that every single facet of our lives have to be indentical in that they are all forced “to be diverse”. If someone wants a very specific experience and is spending their hard earned money for that - why shouldn’t they be allowed to do that? Not every single situation and gathering on Earth has to include every single kind of person in it and that doesn’t mean that is is bad because it is specific, like a private club. I’m all for as much diversity as there is and I’m all for private gatherings that have a specific dynamic to them. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
ReplyI think this is a great idea, if you read the article they say that it is open to “anyone” which I would believe includes gay men.
I am all about gay men living in the community; there is no reason why a housing community could not include the whole gay community.
I believe Olivia is trying to push for more lesbians to live in this community over any other sexuality, otherwise why would Olivia spend their time and money, come on it’s Olivia!
The argument stands true that we really don’t have rights in Arizona (yet), but really who could afford housing in California? I think we should consider location, weather and price. When you do Tucson seems perfect (so nice and sunny!). Bringing out a community of lesbians and gays can help cultivate the area and if you get enough of us together I believe we can fight any law.
The age groups that have been putting down deposits for these properties thus far are 55-80, which is starting to look like a small retirement community. I know when I get to that age I will be over the diversity bullshit and want to just live in a community where people don’t stop, stare, point and laugh.
I say Rock on Olivia; bring on the lesbian housing community! And please allow all the Gay men in
ReplyI find it ironic that the only place this sort of community can truly “work”, is a place where discrimination in housing based upon sexual orientation is still legal.
ReplyThe story says the Community is situated in TUSCON Arizona.
ReplyIs that far from TUCSON? If lesbians can’t find it on a map then it probably won’t be too successful!
No one said that this is discrimination in housing. If you had really read the article you would see that this is open to everyone. I don’t know why people get so crazy when they really need to just read all of the article. I agree with a lot of the posters who have said that California or Massachusetts would be a better place to have housing. I live in Calif and I am married to my partner of 20 years. After waiting all of these years I am not ready to now move somewhere else where I am no longer married. I know that there are going to be other housing projects in Calif so I am waiting to see what all is offered. The only problem is once it is touted as “gay” the prices go high. Don’t know if I will be able to afford it. Too bad.
ReplyI’ve been hanging out at glbt retirement forums for a while. I’ve been lurking around various forms of community web sites like http://www.ic.org, http://www.cohousing.org, and their listservs: http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/
The solutions like this Olivia development seem to all be upscale and very large.
I’m just wondering for a community of individuals who have had to create their own identity, communal space, culture etc. out of whole cloth in spite of the weight of social convention, society, religion, politics, the law, why then are we accepting these large, upscale – rather conventional – living arrangements? They seem awfully one-size-fits-all to me.
Just as the last thirty years has been full of gay men and lesbians inventing their own path personally, politically and socially, I would expect a lot more creativity to housing and retirement solutions.
I’m waiting to hear about glbt DIY housing options like here:
Replyhttp://www.coophousing.org/starting_new.shtml
So you can design in exactly what you want.
I feel as though the Olivia’s lesbian community should be for both gay and lesbians the same. If so, there will be men and women living in the community. Most likely, with children too. Therefore, it wouldn’t be any different from any other community. It would appear as the same, yet “inside” everyone would know that they were either gay or lesbian. Consequently, I don’t see the community as demonstrating discrimination or segregation. If a person purchases a home there, it’s obvious that it is only because it is their idea living situation. The only problem I see is if it was broadcasted or bragged to those that couldn’t live in the community–causing them to protest the situation. And who would want to do that? Would it be gays and lesbians? I don’t think so, but there are always the “in closet” people who just want to fit in as oppose to standing out and wouldn’t want or believe in a community like this one.
ReplyThanks Kathie - but we DID read the article and are intelligent enough to “read between the lines” and have every right to ask questions. Statements such as “… the first large scale lesbian housing development in the country…” and “… although anyone can purchase a home, the company is targeting lesbians” make the not so subtle implication that “we legally have to keep it open to everyone, but we really would prefer ythat only lesbians be there”. And actually, that’s just fine - really. But questioning it further might have brought our a more genuine desire for gay men as well as lesbians or it may have clarified the upfront intent. All too often what happens is, people SAY they are inclusive because they HAVE to, when the REALITY is that they aren’t at all - so attempting to get greater clarity in that regard doesn’t mean people “haven’t bothered to read the article”.
ReplyThis is a semi-upscale apartment complex that was bought by developers more than a year ago and converted to condos. They evidently didn’t sell as planned. The prices Olivia is charging for what are basically apartments is ludicrous. Once again, the middle-income population of the community is being neglected by wealthy developers in the community. i lived in Tucson for almost 18 months & know the neighborhood. This complex is on the border between nice and tacky. Way too over-priced. Lesbians in Tucson have many more affordable options. There is already a thriving, diverse, out LGBT community in & around Tucson. This development will not “make” the community.
ReplyI have to agree with Carolyn. We’ve seen similar apartment conversions in the SF Bay Area complete with endorsements from a famous author. But the developers are merely offering apartments at twice to triple the average rate for the area. They offer little in added services, other than a promise that the units will be marketed to glbt folks, which by Federal law is all they can do because anything else would violate fair housing law. So are they relying on the higher rates to ensure heterosexuals don’t buy in?
ReplyThis is wonderful, I am living at a condo in Ann Arbor, Michigan and it is difficult when my neighbors know, they are not rude, they are just like oh no wife and children. It sure would be nice to be living in a community where the living situation would be like this for men and females. Any one that is living ther is lucky and it is wonderful. You just do not know how wonderful it is until you have had problems in your life because you are Gay.
ReplyI think it’s great what she has done. We have a lesbian couple across the street and they are nicer than any of our neighbors. They have a beautiful yard too. We need more like this.
ReplyI already own a unit in this complex.
I bought a unit when this property was originally converted from an apartment complex to a condominium. I am willing to sell my unit $30,000 to $40,000 less than what is being charged by Olivia Communities. My unit has a great view and overlooks the pool. If you have any interest in my property, please reply below and I will contact you. Thanks.
Reply[...] Dlugacz, president and founder of Olivia Companies, told 365gay.com that the majority of women to have put down deposits on the condos are in the 55-70 age group. [...]
ReplyI already own a condo unit in this complex.
I am currently marketing my unit for sale at $35,000 less than what is being charged by Olivia Communities. My unit has a great view and overlooks main courtyard, the pool and fitness center. If you have any interest in my condo, please email me at robby23@ymail.com and I can provide you with additional information.
Thanks,
Rob
Reply