BOULDER — Residents of the San Lazaro neighborhood in Boulder are working against the clock to raise $30 million to purchase their mobile home park before an outside investor does, and a funding commitment announced from the county on Tuesday is helping them do that.
Julie Heins has lived in the community for 38 years.
"It's a close knit community," Heins said.
Heins and roughly 800 of her neighbors are concerned about what an investor purchase could mean for their lot rents — and their futures in the neighborhood.
"Having an investor come in and purchase this park will guarantee that our lot rents go up significantly," Heins said. "Large increases in lot rent, make it very very challenging for the residents to be able to stay in the park."
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Boulder County commissioners are working to help. At the Boulder County Courthouse, Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann announced the county's contribution to the residents' competing offer.
"It's an amazing feeling today," Stolzmann said. "The community asked for $11.2 (million) in change and that's what we were able to come through with today," Stolzmann said.
That $11.2 million commitment reflects a broader philosophy for Stolzmann.
"Keeping people in their house, is just as important as creating new housing," Stolzmann said.
The remaining funds will need to come from partners and community members. Heins acknowledged the difficulty of the situation.
"We don't want to be a charity case, but we also don't have 30 million dollars readily available," Heins said.
The neighborhood's competing offer must be submitted by early December.
"We're working really really hard to try to stay here," Heins said.
Heins put the stakes plainly.
"You have an affordable community here in Boulder right now, and to lose that, would be a crime, basically," Heins said.
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