Residents of a 31-space mobile home park in rural Colorado are trying to do something many renters only dream of by buying the land beneath their homes.
The proposal would place the park under resident control through a nonprofit cooperative, which The Journal said is designed to limit lot-rent increases and make housing more secure.
Here's what to know
People who live at Mountain View Park in Mancos are under contract to purchase the property and, if the deal is completed, put it into a nonprofit co-op called Mountain View Cooperative Inc., according to The Journal. The transaction is expected to take about four months, and residents will cast a final approval vote once the remaining steps are finished.
For Sharon Reddert — a Mountain View Park resident of more than 30 years and president of the interim five-member volunteer board — the campaign to protect the community has depended on extensive unpaid effort from neighbors.
"We don't get paid. It's a work of love to benefit our community, as it is very time consuming," Reddert told The Journal.
Colorado law gives residents the first chance to buy their mobile home communities under Revised Statute 38-12-217. Reddert said the sale price has not been disclosed, but the board sees it as favorable.
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Reddert added that, if the purchase is completed, Mountain View Park would become the first resident-owned mobile home park in Montezuma County. That distinction would arise in a housing market where people may own their homes while still being subject to rent increases on the land beneath them.
More background
Across the country, residents of manufactured home communities often face the risk of steep lot-rent increases, ownership changes, or redevelopment plans that can leave them scrambling for limited affordable housing. Another group of residents in Boulder County is also trying to buy the land their homes are on before it's sold to someone else.
At Mountain View Park, Reddert said the community includes seniors on fixed incomes and residents working multiple jobs. Under the cooperative model described by The Journal, rents would be set to cover loan payments and operating expenses rather than produce profit for an outside owner.
If the purchase goes through, residents would create their own community rules, revisit them every year, and direct funds to road work and other improvements. Future openings would also prioritize low- and moderate-income households, expanding affordable housing options locally.
What's being done?
The effort is also getting outside help. According to The Journal, the cooperative is working with Thistle ROC on the purchase and has received guidance from the MHP Network, a nonprofit focused on preserving mobile home parks.
That support has included advice from Dan Hunt, founder of the MHP Network, and Brian Franks, both residents of parks in Durango who have been through this process themselves. Reddert told The Journal that both have offered advice based on their experiences.
Residents working together may be able to negotiate more practical policies that allow cost-saving steps such as food gardening, line-drying clothes, or other low-cost household changes.
"Personally, I want to secure our future for our children and for future residents, that they don't have to worry about huge rent increases or fear having to relocate in an already limited area for mobile home spaces," Reddert said.
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