FridleyPatch from Minnesota reports it’s been eight months since the Park Plaza manufactured home community became a cooperative. Facilitated by the Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF), at the time Park Plaza was the fifth MHC in Minnesota to become a co-op, and the second sold by Phil Johnson to residents. He says he wanted to help the residents realize their dream of ownership. Natividad Seefeld, current board of directors president, and instrumental in the buyout process, met with Renewable Energy company to do a study to cut energy consumption in half for the residents. Recently the board finalized a contract on a rent-to-purchase option for a home. “With great big smiles we turned over the key of a new home to a new resident of Park Plaza Cooperative,” Seefeld says. More than half of the 90 homesite residents are co-op members. At the time of incorporation residents could opt out of communal ownership, but new incoming residents will automatically be members. New signage for the MHC, located in the greater Twin Cities area, will be erected soon.
