The Parkhill Story...
Several residents moved to Parkhill from nearby communities that were closing.
Given the awe-inspiring view of the Wasatch Mountains from our part of Salt Lake County, it wasn’t surprising that there was talk in the early 2000s of a developer looking at our land with an eye toward high-end condominiums.
But as residents of Parkhill, we weren’t pleased with the idea of moving. We liked our homes, and we liked them just exactly where they were. So we began the process of fighting for our community – a course of action that came to a successful end on March 31, 2011 when we signed papers and took ownership of the land on which our homes sit.
The final push for resident ownership began in 2007, when Utah Resident Owned Communities (UROC) began helping the homeowners of Parkhill. At that time, a number of manufactured home communities in and around Salt Lake City were closing. A few years of hard work later, and our cooperative was able to buy our community with the help of UROC and ROC USA, LLC with funding from Utah Community Reinvestment Corporation, Salt Lake County and the Housing Authority of Salt Lake County. Several homeowners from communities that were being shut down were able to move into Parkhill and now have the security to never worry about their community closing again.
Now, the Parkhill Homeowners Cooperative is not only a successful business, but also a thriving neighborhood. The process of the cooperative buying the land beneath our homes brought this community closer together. Not only do we know far more of our neighbors than ever before, but we look out for one another, too. And with no outside landlord to report to, we're the envy of other nearby manufactured home communities.
Our member households elect our board of directors, which works with a property management firm and also appoints various volunteer committees to help with special projects, celebrations, community improvements and more. The board submits a budget every year, and the entire membership votes on it and any changes to the rent before the budget becomes official. Our rent has stabilized since becoming a ROC – something about which we're not only happy, but also proud. We're running the multi-million dollar business that is our community on our terms, by our rules, for the betterment of ourselves and our neighbors.
Parkhill couldn't be better situated. The commute to downtown Salt Lake is a breeze, and we're just minutes from great schools, all kinds of shopping, restaurants, entertainment, the TRAX line, churches, hospitals and more.
Ask anyone who lives in Parkhill, and we're sure they'll tell you it's a little slice of heaven.
But as residents of Parkhill, we weren’t pleased with the idea of moving. We liked our homes, and we liked them just exactly where they were. So we began the process of fighting for our community – a course of action that came to a successful end on March 31, 2011 when we signed papers and took ownership of the land on which our homes sit.
The final push for resident ownership began in 2007, when Utah Resident Owned Communities (UROC) began helping the homeowners of Parkhill. At that time, a number of manufactured home communities in and around Salt Lake City were closing. A few years of hard work later, and our cooperative was able to buy our community with the help of UROC and ROC USA, LLC with funding from Utah Community Reinvestment Corporation, Salt Lake County and the Housing Authority of Salt Lake County. Several homeowners from communities that were being shut down were able to move into Parkhill and now have the security to never worry about their community closing again.
Now, the Parkhill Homeowners Cooperative is not only a successful business, but also a thriving neighborhood. The process of the cooperative buying the land beneath our homes brought this community closer together. Not only do we know far more of our neighbors than ever before, but we look out for one another, too. And with no outside landlord to report to, we're the envy of other nearby manufactured home communities.
Our member households elect our board of directors, which works with a property management firm and also appoints various volunteer committees to help with special projects, celebrations, community improvements and more. The board submits a budget every year, and the entire membership votes on it and any changes to the rent before the budget becomes official. Our rent has stabilized since becoming a ROC – something about which we're not only happy, but also proud. We're running the multi-million dollar business that is our community on our terms, by our rules, for the betterment of ourselves and our neighbors.
Parkhill couldn't be better situated. The commute to downtown Salt Lake is a breeze, and we're just minutes from great schools, all kinds of shopping, restaurants, entertainment, the TRAX line, churches, hospitals and more.
Ask anyone who lives in Parkhill, and we're sure they'll tell you it's a little slice of heaven.
