Preserving manufactured home communities through interim ownership and redevelopment
In 2025, CoNorth took a bold step: we acquired our first manufactured home community in West Central Minnesota. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in our work - redevelopment of communities through interim ownership. As an interim owner, our plan is to stabilize, reinvest, and ultimately transfer ownership to residents through cooperative conversion.
We stepped into the role of an interim owner because of two converging forces: Market and Mission
Market Forces: We began to see a growing number of high-vacancy manufactured home communities come on the market - often in disrepair and not viable candidates for immediate cooperative ownership. The combination of vacancy challenges and aging infrastructure makes it difficult for resident groups to take on ownership without significant risk. Without intervention, these communities are at risk of being closed, neglected, or acquired by profit-driven investors.
Mission Forces: Our commitment to preserving and expanding long-term, resident-controlled housing pushed us to act. In some cases, the only way to protect these communities is to step in as a temporary owner and ensure they're not lost to speculation or disinvestment.
Our redevelopment work focuses on rehabilitating existing communities, replacing homes where needed, investing in infrastructure, and laying the groundwork for a sustainable, cooperative future. Every community we acquire is done so with the intent to convert to resident ownership upon stabilization - when the physical, financial, and social conditions are right for success.
