Since last July, Mountain Voices Project has worked with residents of Sopris Mountain Collective, a cooperative in Glenwood Springs, to organize funding to establish the park as a resident-owned community. This would keep 100 homes in the park permanently affordable in a region facing an extreme housing crisis. 

After making their case to Glenwood Springs City Council (pictured above), residents are now calling on the City of Aspen to contribute public funding toward a resident-ownership purchase of the mobile home park. As the current land owner considers a $23 million offer from an undisclosed buyer, residents continue using fundraising, political, and legal tools to advance their cooperative effort.

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“Once this park is sold again to an outside entity … it will no longer be affordable,” Katherine Coe, project organizer at Mountain Voices Project — the presenting organization — said. “We know this from experience … and we know that this park is valuable to Aspen. More than 40% of residents work in Aspen, sometimes six to seven days a week, especially in the high season.”

Colorado law allows mobile home park residents the chance to make a counter-offer, creating the possibility that mobile home park communities can become “Resident-Owned Communities” before they are sold to the highest bidder….

Residents have until June 13 to make a competitive offer, according to Mountain Voices Project staff. 

While Aspen didn’t commit to a solid number on Monday, councilors were mostly in support of providing some level of funding.

Aspen Considers Contribution Toward Another Mobile Home Purchase, The Aspen Times [pdf]