Facing a $42.5 million offer for their park from an anonymous buyer that they fear could raise rents or sell the land under their homes, the San Lazaro Mobile Home Park community has been racing to raise money for a counteroffer.
If San Lazaro sells at that price, it would be the most expensive mobile home park acquisition in Boulder County since the passage of a state law guaranteeing residents the opportunity to purchase their park.
With a little over two months until the deadline, the community of about 1,000 residents had raised barely 0.1% of what they needed. Then, on Sept. 29, Boulder County committed more than $11 million to the effort — the full amount requested by the community in June.
The grant could be the fundraising catalyst residents need. ROC USA, a national nonprofit that helps mobile home residents buy their communities, told residents that it could not commit resources to San Lazaro until they secured additional support, such as government or philanthropic grants. ROC USA can provide up to $15 million in financing for park purchases.
The residents have also requested $11 million from the City of Boulder and $5 million from the state.
“The hope that I have is that by contributing the county share, that other partners are able to come forward and help the San Lazaro community,” County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann said at the commissioners’ Sept. 29 meeting. “The city, the state and others are looking at this opportunity.”
San Lazaro residents filled the room, several holding handmade signs made for the occasion. “You helped us take a big step toward home,” read one, thanking commissioners in English, Spanish and Bosnian – the three languages spoken by San Lazaro residents. “Thank you, gracias, hvala.”
“Without support there is substantial risk of displacing hundreds of residents from their homes, many residing in the park 20 years and more,” residents wrote in a statement ahead of the vote, adding that San Lazaro residents work in Boulder and most of the more than 140 children who live there attend shrinking BVSD schools.
“Public support from the county … would bring the necessary funding in to assist in closing that gap and successfully give residents the security and stability they are seeking.”
Translation services were provided to Spanish-speaking residents in the room, and Commissioner Marta Loachamin addressed residents directly in Spanish to reiterate the commissioners’ long-held support for the purchase and their hope that the City of Boulder will join them.
Commissioners voted unanimously to provide San Lazaro $11 million toward the purchase, using revenue from the Affordable and Attainable Housing Tax. They also agreed to provide the money as a grant, rather than a loan, to avoid saddling residents with additional debt after a purchase.
The announcement was met by applause from residents.
Community support
Before the vote, Commissioner Stolzmann thanked the community for supporting the tax that is funding the grant.
“I’m really proud of the broader community,” she said. “We’ve gotten a lot of letters of support from people that live in San Lazaro, but also people that don’t, wanting us to help make sure that people have stable housing and can stay in their house.”
San Lazaro’s fundraising events have been well-attended. State Sen. Judy Amabile and state Rep. Kyle Brown attended an Aug. 23 fundraiser, along with Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett and several city councilmembers, according to San Lazaro steering committee member Julie Heins.
At Boulder’s Sept. 20 Porchfest, local kids set up four lemonade stands to raise money for San Lazaro, collecting $775 in cash alone, according to one parent involved. Commissioner Claire Levy said her Old North Boulder community held its own garage sale to benefit San Lazaro during Porchfest.
“My neighborhood has no geographic connection, but it really demonstrated to me that the community is united on this,” she said. “It brought tears to my eyes. It’s a really good feeling to be able to help make it happen.”
Filling a $31 million gap
Under Colorado law, mobile home residents have 120 days from the time an outside buyer puts in an offer to submit a counteroffer. San Lazaro’s deadline is Dec. 8.
The county’s commitment leaves roughly $31 million of the $42.5 million purchase price to be covered through other funding and financing. It’s unclear how much other nonprofits and governments will be able to contribute.
In August, the city’s director of Housing and Human Services, Kurt Firnhaber, told Boulder Reporting Lab that Boulder cannot use its affordable housing funds to help purchase San Lazaro because the park is outside city limits. City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde reiterated this at a Sept. 10 city council budget meeting, in response to a question from Councilmember Tina Marquis about supporting San Lazaro.
Rivera-Vandermyde said staff had been in conversations with the county and San Lazaro about what city support could look like given that the park is not in the city’s jurisdiction. They discussed annexing San Lazaro into the city and potentially providing financial support to connect residents to city services if they were interested in annexation.
But annexation is a lengthy process and would not be completed before the residents’ Dec. 8 deadline.
“I don’t know if potential annexation and financial support from the city would actually be in 2027,” Rivera-Vandermyde said.
Residents now have 70 days to preserve a community where one seven-year resident said she had “found my faith in humanity restored.”
The $11 million seems to be the only money the residents can find. It’s unfortunate that all the talk about affordable housing is just talk and wasted money. It’s impossible in our system to offset the forces of capitalism and property rights. The juxtaposition of downtown commercial property owners wanting the city to do something about their vacancy rates tells you everything.