Based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Meritus Communities recently finalized its acquisition of Lake Villa Manufactured Home Community in Oxford Township, and said it will spend $1 million to upgrade the community beginning within 120 days, according to oxfordleader.

New Manager Edith Belen, a 25-year veteran of managing manufactured home communities (MHCs), said the company will spend $250,000 to repair the roads beginning later this month.

Meritus intends to add a new playground and a basketball court, renovate the clubhouse and create a fitness center. A new maintenance facility building will replace the current pole barn, and a custom manufactured home will serve as the office and sales center.

Lake Villa has 851 home sites, of which 564 have homes sited on them and 496 of them are occupied. According to Belen, Meritus is adding 25 new Champion Home Builders homes, followed by another 30 new homes. MHProNews has learned Meritus owns 18 MHCs, 16 of which are in Michigan. One is in Missouri and the other in Kansas.

Belen said previously she and her husband, Glenn, who is Lake Villa’s new maintenance supervisor, spent a year and a half restoring Mill Pond Village MHC in Lansing, another Meritus community, and they intend to do the same thing with Lake Villa. ##

(Photo credit: Triangle Mobile Home Park, Battle Creek, Michigan)

Article submitted by Matthew J. Silver to Daily business News-MHProNews.