Governor Mills Celebrates Purchase of Linnhaven Mobile Home Park by Residents

Purchase of 278-home community is the first of its kind under a new measure signed into law last year by Governor Mills & financed in part by funding proposed by Governor and approved by Legislature

Brunswick, Maine – Governor Janet Mills tonight participated in a “We Own It” celebration to commemorate the purchase of the Linnhaven Mobile Home Park in Brunswick by its residents – the first deal of its kind under a new law signed by the Governor that requires mobile home park owners to provide advance notice to residents of their intent to sell.

Last week, the Blueberry Fields Cooperative – formed by residents of the Linnhaven Mobile Home Park – completed an agreement to purchase the 278-home community on Maquoit Road in Brunswick for $26.3 million. The purchase makes the Blueberry Fields Cooperative the largest manufactured home co-op in Maine.

Governor Mills joined Linnhaven residents, MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan, State Representative Poppy Arford, Town of Brunswick officials, and representatives from the Genesis Community Loan Fund and Cooperative Development Institute at a ceremony officially marking the change in ownership of the community.

 “This is exactly the type of outcome that we envisioned when we created the Mobile Home Park Preservation Fund and the Opportunity to Purchase law.  We still have more work to do to protect Maine people and mobile home parks from being exploited by companies who want to use them to make a profit, but now we have a model of how we can preserve this vital housing for low and moderate-income people in Maine,” said Governor Janet Mills. “Congratulations to the residents of Linnhaven Mobile Home Park, and the Blueberry Fields Cooperative, on becoming owners of your own future. May the example you have set be replicated across our state, and across the country, until every person has the same lasting foundation and safe and affordable place to live as you do.”

“The day that we voted to become a resident-owned community, the members all gathered at the local high school cafeteria to cast their votes. As the votes were being counted, the members began banging on the tables in support. When I shouted that the vote was unanimous with 187 voting yes, the roar was deafening. WE DID IT!” said Janet Fournier, Board President and member of the Blueberry Fields Cooperative. “The Cooperative Development Institute has guided us through every step of this challenging process, always with competence, clear direction, diplomacy, and kindness. We couldn’t have done this without the support of our residents, the Scarponi family, the Town of Brunswick, our State Rep. Poppy Arford, Carol O’Donnell, the folks at MaineHousing and Genesis, and Governor Janet Mills. Our purchase of this property provides a long-term benefit for the lives of more than 275 residents who currently are tenants, but equally important, those who will live in the cooperative long after we’re gone.”

In most cases, residents of mobile home parks own their home and pay rent for the lot on which their home sits. In recent years, investors have purchased mobile home parks across Maine and the nation, frequently raising lot fees to increase profits.

Under the nation-leading Opportunity to Purchase Law signed into law by Governor Mills last year, owners of mobile home parks must provide a 60-day notice to residents and MaineHousing if they intend to sell their park. A park owner must consider a good-faith offer from a group of residents that indicate an interest in purchasing the park. If a majority of residents indicate their support for an offer, residents have up to 90 days to secure financing to complete the purchase.

MaineHousing created a financing package that includes a $20.6 million loan and a $3.2 million grant from the Mobile Home Community Preservation Fund recently created by Governor Mills and the Maine Legislature. Additional support was provided by the Genesis Fund, M&T Bank, and the Town of Brunswick. The total financing for the project was $27.86 million, which covers the purchase and necessary upgrades to the community’s septic and water infrastructure.

The Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) – a regional nonprofit organization that supports the establishment and support of co-ops in the Northeast – helped Linnhaven residents establish the Blueberry Fields Cooperative and navigate the purchase process.

“Because of the foresight of the Maine Legislature and Governor Mills and the work of our partners at Genesis and CDI, we were able to bring together the financial resources needed to help preserve a large number of affordable homes for a relatively low cost,” said MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan. “But this deal is about way more than that. This deal is helping to preserve a wonderful community of people who care and look out for one another, as is so apparent in the hard work they put into making this new cooperative a reality. This is an enormous accomplishment and one that all of Maine should be proud of.”

“This is a powerful example of how community lenders can assist residents across rural Maine in overcoming barriers to affordable homeownership and affordable rental options,” said Liza Fleming-Ives, Executive Director of Genesis Community Loan Fund. “Genesis is delighted that we could guide determined residents and work alongside fellow lenders and community partners to preserve this critical type of affordable housing and empower a resident community.”

“This has been an unbelievable journey and result for the residents of Linnhaven,” said Nora Gosselin, Market Development and Acquisitions Specialist of CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program. “It would not have happened without the legislative champions and the resident leaders across the ten manufactured home cooperatives in Maine who came together with CDI to get the Opportunity to Purchase law passed last year. It would not have happened without the Linnhaven community owner, who decided to give the residents a chance to come to the table as buyers. It would not have happened without the Governor’s Office, the Town of Brunswick, MaineHousing, and the Genesis Fund, who put together an incredible financial package. And most importantly, it would not have happened without the residents who formed the Blueberry Fields Cooperative. We met multiple times a week for months to go through this enormous undertaking. Through their hard work, on top of already busy lives, they are setting an important precedent for affordable housing in Maine. It was an honor to work with them.”

“We are proud to have participated in financing this important project, without which the homes of 277 families would have been greatly jeopardized,” said Phil Cohen, Maine Regional President for M&T Bank. “Affordable housing is a critical issue across the state that will only be fully addressed through innovative projects like this one. We are excited about the future of Linnhaven under the new Blueberry Fields Cooperative and are grateful to Governor Mills for her leadership, and to MaineHousing and the Genesis Community Loan Fund for the wonderful collaboration and partnership.”

“The Town’s investment in the Blueberry Fields Cooperative will help preserve affordable housing in the Linnhaven Mobile Home Park for decades to come,” said Brunswick Town Council Chair Abby King. “We are grateful for the public-private partnership with the State, Genesis, M&T, and CDI who have demonstrated a deep commitment to addressing the affordable housing crisis in Brunswick by supporting one of our most vulnerable residential communities in their time of need.”

Since Governor Mills took office in 2019, her Administration has made record investments in housing – more than $314 million. By comparison, from 2000 to 2018, the State of Maine invested only $65 million in affordable housing development. 

The supplemental budget signed into law by the Governor this spring included $74 million to address homelessness and build more housing – including the $5 million in one-time funds for MaineHousing to establish the Mobile Home Community Preservation Fund to support the purchase of mobile home parks by their residents.