Animas View Cooperative originally opened in the 1970s and is now a 120-site, resident-owned manufactured home community.
But that transition didn’t happen overnight. We formed the Animas View MHP Co-op and started on the path to resident-ownership with only 90 days to obtain a contract and loan commitment. AVMHP was the first community to close under a new Colorado law requiring mobile home park owners to give residents an opportunity to purchase their park. We are now in the process of doing almost $3 million worth of deferred maintenance on water/sewer lines and park roads and hoping to add fiber optics in the process. With the help of Thistle ROC and ROC USA, LLC, we purchased and took control of our community on June 21, 2021.
Now, the resident-owned community (ROC) is not only a successful business, but also a thriving neighborhood.
The process of the resident-owned community buying the land beneath our neighborhood brought this community closer together. Not only do we know far more of our neighbors than ever before, but we look out for one another, too. And with no outside landlord to report to, we’re the envy of other nearby manufactured home communities.
Our Member households elect our Board of Directors, which works with a property management firm and also appoints various volunteer committees to help with special projects, celebrations, community improvements and more. The Board submits a budget every year, and the entire Membership votes on it and any changes to the rent before the budget becomes official. We’re running the business that is our community on our terms, by our rules, for the betterment of ourselves and our neighbors.
Ten minutes from a dog park, we are a family and pet-friendly community with an ideal location. US 550 and US 160 are nearby. Each year the city is home to numerous events such as The Ironhorse bike race, Snowdown, Music in the Park, Music in the Mountains, and more, right here in Durango. Summer music festivals and swimming and rafting on the Animas River and Vallecito Lake are just a few of the local activities at our fingertips.
It has been heartwarming to see our community transition. As soon as the sale was complete, a group of residents began sprucing up the neighborhood. From trimming trees to filling in potholes and dontating appliances to those in need, our community is all about neighbors helping neighors, often without being asked. We have planned spring and fall community days for residents to work together to improve the neighborhood.
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