Boulder County mobile home park residents hope to purchase property amid concerns about future

More than 800 residents of a Boulder County mobile home community say they're racing against a mid-July deadline as they work to raise tens of millions of dollars to purchase their mobile home park from their landlord.

Residents at San Lazaro Mobile Home Park just outside Boulder's city limits are hoping to become Colorado's 20th Resident-Owned Community, or ROC, under a state law that gives mobile home residents the opportunity to purchase their park when an owner decides to sell.

For families like Maria Ramirez's, the effort may be the only way to afford to stay in their home.

"Es musta casita... no tenemos a donde ir," Ramirez said, speaking in Spanish, which translates to, "It's our little home... We have nowhere else to go."

Ramirez has lived at San Lazaro Mobile Home Park with her family for nine years. The entire community, reported to be 213 homes, is now up for sale with an asking price of $42.5 million.

"We're poor, we don't have that kind of money. And we really want help so our children can grow up here and have their school nearby, so we don't have to go to who-knows-where, under a bridge, we don't know where else to go," Ramirez said.

Last week, dozens of residents packed a Boulder City Council meeting to ask city leaders for assistance in their effort to purchase the property.

The City of Boulder and Boulder County have indicated they are willing to help and have agreed to pay for a new appraisal of the property.

"I know there is still work to be done to fine-tune the details, but I am very much looking forward to however we can best support you in this cooperative," Boulder City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde told residents during the meeting.

As residents organize their campaign, community leader John Bellos said purchasing the park will require significant outside assistance.

"We need legal representation, we need an appraisal, we need to understand what it costs to run a place like this... and what does it look like for lot rent for people if we want to take that path?" Bellos said.

Ramirez said she currently pays $950 per month in rent and worries she would struggle to afford more. She fears that if another buyer purchases the property, longtime residents could eventually be forced out.

"There are people who have lived here 20, 30, 15 years," Ramirez said.

She hopes increased public awareness will help residents secure the funding needed to buy the property.

"The more people who know so that someone can help us find funding, the better it would be for us," Ramirez said.

"Que haya alguien que tenga compasión de nosotros y nos ayude. Me ayude a buscar fondos para poder comprar el terreno."

The community has 120 days under Colorado law to organize a purchase effort after receiving notice of the sale. Residents are currently preparing for a deadline in mid-July.

Management of the property did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the mobile home park sits just outside Boulder city limits, city officials said they are considering the possibility of annexing the property in the future.