View 11/8/21 member approved Bylaws click here

NOTE: Updated Bylaws reflecting the March 2022 membership vote approving the entire park's 55+ Community status are available in the office

March 1, 2023  Great news! We have an approved 2023 budget. 76 ballots were submitted with only two being invalid. One envelope had no space number or signature and the other was inadvertently opened because it contained a rent check. The total count included 72 YES votes and 2 NO votes. This is a great day for our co-op as it puts us one step closer to our goal of attaining permanent financing. Special thanks to Blanca and Martin for the extra time that they committed to this project. We couldn't have done it without them. Community pride is abundant as we make our way down the final stretch. Thank you for all of your support.

February 14, 2023 Ballot and proposed budget will be mailed to Coop Members via USPS. Ballots must be returned by 3pm on February 28, 2023.

February 6, 2023 - The Board of Directors and CASA have agreed on a budget to submit to the membership. We'll present the budget via Zoom on 2/8/23 and then send it out to the membership for a vote. All participants had the best interest of the HV Coop in mind, we needed to find some middle ground on a few issues. Martin (HVC Treasurer) will host a Finance Committee meeting 2-07-23 at 6pm for an in depth look at the finances. For those of you that are interested in participating in either meetings, links are on the Home page.

January 31, 2023 - 6:00pm Emergency Board meeting to select and vote on budget that will be sent to members for approval by vote.

January 27, 2023 - Board of Director letter regarding emergency 1/31 meeting:

"Hi everyone !! Once again thank you so very much to all that attended last night's Annual Meeting in person and on Zoom!!!. We are extending an invite to our Harbor Village Co-Op for an Emergency Meeting to take place this Tuesday, January 31st at 6:00pm for a Board of Directors vote on the proposed Budget for 2023. We all received our Treasurer Martin's version of the Budget this morning and we'll take these couple of days to review and discuss it in comparison to CASA of Oregon's proposed Budget . This will be a short 10-15 min meeting. for vote only. There will be no Q&A from our Co-op members at this meeting.

January 26, 2023 - Annual meeting and new board members designated.

January 6, 2023 -  Board Candidate Biographies are available. Visit the 2023 Election page.

Candidate Bio's are included in the hard copy voting packet which will be mailed to eligible members to arrive by January 16.

If any Co-Op Member has a disability that impedes them from physically casting their vote by placing it in the Ballot box located on

the porch at the office, please contact HV Secretary, Blanca Smith at [email protected] no later than Wednesday January 11 so that she may include a stamped envelope with return address where your vote can be mailed. Blanca is happy to personally pick up your Ballot from you.*

*There shall be no voting by proxy.

All candidates have been confirmed as eligible to run for a Board Member position. If any Co-op Member wishes to be written in as a candidate for a Board position, you may do so up until the January 26 Annual Meeting (eligibility will be confirmed at meeting prior to final vote.)

December 1, 2022- Remaining short term RV spaces are quickly being converted to permanent, long term spaces. Beginning Fall 2021, more than half of the original short term spaces have been turned in to 55+ permanent residents. Approximately 15 short term spaces remain currently.

November 15, 2022- Board of Director candidate nominations have been extended due to postponement of Annual Meeting  to January 26, 2023.

August 6, 2022 - The State approved $8M in grant funding last Friday (8/5) to apply to the purchase of Harbor Village. Also, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued their letter of Economic Development Initiative (EDI) funding in the amount of $2M. These funds will be applied to the purchase price of Harbor Village and also be used to apply to much needed upgrades to our sewer and water systems as well as other infrastructure projects.

Our project manager consultant is working on estimates for these projects so we will know how much in total we'll need to borrow to facilitate the projects. Our lender will require these infrastructure projects to be done to protect their investment.

We have a variety of requirements that must be met for HUD, with the big one being the National Environmental Protection Act review. CASA has decided that they will complete the initial environmental checklist and the CIty of Newport will be the "responsible entity" reviewing/approving our completed checklist. Our plan is to get HUD all their required documents by the end of August and our Environmental Checklist to the City. At this time, we anticipate having our permanent financing in place by the end of 2022.

Our treasurer, Sharon Beck, was on vacation and wasn't able to participate in the Housing Stability Council meeting but Martin Desmond stepped up and testified at the meeting, his testimony is below.

In other news, we are still trying to recruit a new park manager and maintenance manager. We have interviewed a few candidates but the small house that is attached to the office is not attractive as part of the compensation package we can offer. We have lost qualified candidates because of the housing situation.

Just recently the cooperative was able to acquire mobile home #4 at no cost. This is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath unit that would become the park managers residence while still owned by Harbor Village. Unfortunately, this home needs a lot of repair and renovation. The floor is rotted through, appliances need to be replaced and some structural work needs to be updated. We have three bids for this work and we will be asking you to approve expenditures not to exceed $100k to do this work as well as minor changes to the current home attached to the office that we can use as a community center. While you're going to be asked to approve this expense in the next few weeks, we will not proceed with this work until we have completed our permanent financing. We need to be able to assure future park manager applicants that the housing situation will be addressed as soon as possible.

In the last year there have been many rule violation notices issued regarding the unkempt appearance of many sites. If these situations are not taken care of, 30 day eviction notices can be issued. None of us want that to happen. The Board has decided to have a dumpster day where dumpsters will be brought in and you can dispose of those unwanted items or yard debris that are cluttering up your home. Stay tuned for the dates.

You many notice a dumpster in front of MH#4 this week. We have engaged a nonprofit to come in and empty MH#4 at no cost to Harbor Village. The nonprofit will keep what they can use and empty the house for us in exchange.

Martin's testimony:

Good morning, Chair Hall and members of the Housing Stability Council. My name is Martin Desmond and I live at the Harbor Village Cooperative Mobile and RV Park in Newport. While I am a member of the finance subcommittee for the Harbor Village Cooperative, I am presenting as an individual to discuss the strong financial condition of the cooperative.

As I am the treasurer for the NW Cooperative Development Center which performs a similar task as CASA of Oregon to help residents purchase mobile home parks and convert into cooperatives in Washington, I am aware of the sizes of the mobile home parks in both states. Harbor Village is the largest cooperatively owned mobile home park in the Pacific Northwest with 201 sites. When the residents were notified in December 2020 by the owner that the park was up for sale, several of us organized a successful effort to organize the residents. CASA of Oregon and NOAH provided the loan funding to purchase the park for $9.7 million in June 2021

I would like to briefly discuss our cooperative's current financial condition. The 54 mobile home residents pay $473 per monthly space rent. Long term RV residents pay approximately $600 per month depending upon the site. Long term RV residents pay more because the park covers their electricity costs and provides more direct services such as landscaping for the long term RV residents.

The cooperative typically generates $102,000 of income per month primarily from space rent. Expenses vary from month to month depending upon repairs averaging approximately $85,000. For the first six months of the year, we have a net operating profit of $80,500. The largest monthly expense item is the $30,000 interest expense for the $11,575,000 loans from CASA of Oregon and other entities. We are hoping that this bridge loan gets converted in the next six months so that we can reduce our interest rate from the current 5% to a possible 2.5%. Our cooperative is in a much better financial condition than what I had projected over a year ago so we will be able to keep space rents reasonable for our residents in the extremely expensive Oregon central coast.

On pages 46 and 47 of your packet, there is a positive staff grant recommendation of $8.04 million dollars to the Harbor Village Cooperative. I would like to encourage the Housing Stability Council members to approve this staff recommendation. Thank you for the opportunity to present.

May 1, 2022- Cooperative Lease and accompanying docs are due to the office. Members who fail to sign this lease will have their membership revoked and will be charged a higher monthly rent as a non-member. These residents will also not receive any benefits such as reduced rent or a "rent holiday" as the Coop succeeds financially. The new rate will be discussed at the Board meeting on May 26, 2022.

April 11, 2022 - Updated short term vacation space price update:  Daily $75.00,  Weekly $450,  $1600 Monthly

Coop Members have been mailed new permanent resident leases. Please return to the office.

March 1, 2022 - the HVC Membership voted to amend the Bylaws to make all of Harbor Village a senior Park (one occupant of each unit age 55 or over).

86 YES votes vs 29 NO votes. This does not affect existing residents but applies to NEW incoming residents only as of March 1, 2022.

– EXISTING residents already living in HVC will not be impacted. When approved, this requirement will affect NEW incoming residents only.

– NEW residents moving into the park after approval will require one household occupant be 55 years of age or older (not all in the household, just one).

– Residents of any age may still be the voting household Cooperative Member, serve on committees, and run for the Board.

November 8, 2021 - New community bylaws and rules have been adopted. A new Board of Directors has also been voted in!  Visit the BOD page for a list of current Board Members.

November 1, 2021 - new resident rent includes the full $115 rent increase. The 3-year phased in rent increase was offered to original, founding Coop members. A reminder: this phased in approach will change when the Coop moves from the current bridge loan period to permanent funding. This move may take place earlier than 36 months... as early as Spring 2022.

October 1, 2021 - rent is paid to Harbor Village Cooperative, through the office. Our property management company, Commonwealth, has transferred Rent Manager (the office's software) over to the Cooperative in order to receive credit card and online portal payments. Credit card processing fees will pass through to residents. ACH forms for automatic withdrawl from a bank account available at the office.

$38 annual rent increase takes place October 1.  The official 90 day rent increase notice was mailed in the end of June.

"Pay To" info for your online banking rent payments. Your account number should be your space # "HV space #xxx"

Harbor Village Cooperative c/o Commonwealth

18150 SW Boones Ferry Road, Portland, OR 97224      503-244-2300

October 1, 2021 Rent Increase - $38 increase coming up on 10/1 for most founding Coop members (see "Will my rent increase" below)

$435 increases $38 to $473

$460 increases $38 to $498 

$485 increases $38 to $523

$600 level - no increase

If you have questions or do not see your rent level above, please contact the office at [email protected]

I heard short term vacation RV space rent has increased. What is the new pricing?

Fall 2021: HV's vacation space rental for stays less than 90 days has changed to $60 per night, $350 per week and $1200 per month. This is more in line with the pricing in other nearby premium short term stay parks and campgrounds. Vacation rental information is available on the park's original vacation website here: www.harborvillagervpark.com

I intend to sell my RV or MH. What steps do I need to take?

1. Provide the office a 30 day written notice of your intent to sell. Submit it in writing or email it to [email protected].

2. You may NOT sell your home until your buyer has been approved via a rental application and background check.

3. The office will require your buyer's contact information and your approval before buyer submits a background check/rental application..

4. Buyer will complete the Commonwealth online application  and pay a $60 application fee online. If online access is not possible, hard copy forms are available in the office. A $60 check payable to Harbor Village Coop will be collected.

5. HV Management will follow up with buyer and seller with an approval or denial.

6. Once approved, a bill of sale, copy of RV title or MH ownership transfer in buyer's name and proof of insurance will be required to proceed.

7. New resident pays a $100 HV Coop membership fee (a separate check made out to Harbor Village Cooperative) at the time they sign rental agreement.

Will everyone not 55+ be forced to move out of HV?

As a Coop, the new bylaws, rules, lease is one set of documents that apply to the entire park (before November 2021, we've had two sets of rules and rental agreements; long term RV being family friendly and MH  being 55+).  Moving forward,  the entire park operating documents will be one or the other.  Mobile home residents would like to keep the 55+ and this is where the conversation began. HUD's minimum requirement for a 55+ designation is 80% of homes must have 1 occupant that is 55 or older (not all occupants, just one). An informal review of resident agreements confirmed that approx 84% of the 201 spaces have a 55+ occupant. If and when the 55+ issue is put to a vote and Coop members approve (or deny), existing residents younger than 55+ would be "grandfathered in". If approved, this would mean at least one resident (but not all) would need to be 55 for anyone new moving in. We are working to ensure everyone is fairly represented and that affordable housing continues in the HV.

How do I handle a complaint?

Resident complaints must be submitted in writing. Email your complaint to the HV office at [email protected]  (Deb and Cheryl) or [email protected] (Coop Board) or drop off at the office, or in the night drop or black ballot/feedback box (in mail shelter on MH side). Include date, time, description, those involved, police response, police report, photos, license plate #, etc. Your information will be kept private. If enough details are provided, Commonwealth Property Management will document the issue, contact the resident in writing, give them a period of time to comply and then follow up. Action could be immediate, 48 hours, 1 week, 30 days. Commonwealth has begun to address resident issues of speeding, parties/excessive noise, domestic altercations, unauthorized people in bathrooms/showers.

Wondering what the current rules are? View them here: https://harborvillagecoop.com/docs.

I live on the RV side and my rent has been due on the 16th each month.  How do I get it to the 1st?

RV rent will all shift to being due on the first of the month.  If you pay on the 16th for example, rent for the remaining days in July is what should be paid up to August 1. Then rent will be due on the first of the month in the future.

Here is a sample on how to calculate your daily rate:

     $600 monthly rent x 12 months = $7200. $7200 divided by 365 = $19.73 per day. This is your daily rate.

If there are 15 days left in July (16th-31st), the amount paid to current owner at a $600 rate is 15 x $19.73 = $295.95

What's the latest development?

October 1, 2021  $38 annual rent increase for most residents in effect.

September 15, 2021 Candidates & their statements announced. Read candidate statements here.

August 12, 2021 Call for Board nominations. Nominate a neighbor or yourself. Nominations due September 15. Details

July 12, 2021  New Commonwealth property managers, Rick & Diane Wilkerson begin working as Maintenance Supervisor and Office Manager.

June 25, 2021  A Property Manager and Maintenance Supervisor have been hired and will start on Monday, July 12. They offer many years of experience in MH & RV park management.

May 27, 2021  The Harbor Village Cooperative will take ownership and control of the park. Commonwealth will take over the employment and management of staff. We are now under contract with Commonwealth to manage the property.

May 17, 2021  Commonwealth has been approved by the Board to manage the property. They are pulling together a lot for the Coop in the next 2 weeks.

Bylaws, lease and rules are being reviewed and worked on by a Committee led by BOD Calvin Rigsby and Lead Geoff Chew. If you'd like to participate, please contact Geoff to be added to the committee list.

May 4, 2021  The vote is final - 90% of those who voted, said YES to purchasing the park. Vote Summary:

- 101 ballots received (149 members total)

- 99 valid ballots (1 duplicate, 1 invalidated)

  Question 1: Non profit status; 90 yes, 8 no

  Question 2: Empowerment resolution; 90 yes, 7 no

  Question 3: Purchase and sale agreement; 88 yes, 9 no

  Question 4: Approval of first year budget; 88 yes, 10 no

  Question 5: Interim Bylaws amendment (electronic voting) 93 yes, 5 no

April 2021 The Seller has accepted our 9.7 million offer which is what the property appraised at. CASA of Oregon is working with the lenders who will present at our meeting on Thursday, 4/8. CASA updated last week that the lenders have approved a "phased in rent increase" which would allow for a gradual $115 increase; $39/mo in year one, $38/mo increase in year two and $38/mo increase in year three. Only 3 weeks to go until we know exactly what we are dealing with and the Coop members can vote (4/28). Download the April 7 Purchase Details Summary PDF or request it sent in an email.

What can I do to help preserve affordable rent?

It is crucial residents reach out to the Joint Ways and Means Committee, Governor & Representatives immediately (4/14)

Download the 4/12 contact list PDF

Download the Ways and Means sample letter

4/8 Please take a few minutes to send emails and letters to those who can advocate for HV residents! Help us preserve affordable rents.  Download the legislative contact list PDF.   

Download Sample Advocacy Letter.  Create and send emails to legislators by copying and pasting from this PDF.

How did this resident purchase get started?

In December 2020, after the current owner's Intent to Sell letter was received by mobile home owners, four residents came together to form a Steering Committee and take advantage of the 10 day period to notify the owner they would explore a park purchase. They informed the owner of the resident's desire to purchase the park. This brought the seller's plans to a halt while the resident committee investigated options for a ROC (Resident Owned Community). We partnered with CASA of Oregon, a non profit that assists MHP's in protecting their community and securing funding to ensure low income residents do not lose their homes. CASA advocates for the park residents, fronts the money necessary for a purchase, negotiates with the seller and secures low interest loans and grants. They are with us every step of the way. There is no cost to the residents up front and if the sale falls through, CASA bears the burden of the up front costs. The residents walk away with our membership fees refunded.

What has happened during the purchase process?

The current owner signed a purchase agreement with the newly formed HV Cooperative in late January at a $10M price. In February, surveyors and engineers visited the property to assess the infrastructure and property conditions. In early March, an interim set of Bylaws, interim Board of Directors and official Harbor Village Cooperative was approved by residents. On March 15, CASA and the HVC received the property condition reports confirming the property is in decent shape but in need of repairs (which was expected). The property was valued at $9.7M . Currently, the residents are completing a confidential CASA income survey which will prove the park meets lower income levels. This will allow CASA to obtain a low interest loan at approximately 1% and secure the lowest possible rates for not only the HV Coop to purchase the park, but the lowest rent rates possible. This is time sensitive and CASA must hear from residents immediately to prove the HV Coop meets certain lower income levels. Download CASA income survey here and survey instructions here  or request at [email protected].

Can someone help me with the CASA income survey?

Survey packets are also available at the HV office through the end of March. Eddie Sepeda can take your survey by phone at 503-687-3300.

You can fax your survey to 503-537-0558, email [email protected] or snail mail to: CASA of Oregon, P.O. Box 8217, Salem, OR 97303.

This confidential survey is for CASA's eyes only. Please use the postage paid, addressed envelope and return your survey to CASA directly.

Why Join the HV Cooperative?

HV contains 178 long term spaces with more than 400 total residents (in MH & long term RV sites).

80% of these residents have joined the Cooperative; the goal is to save the park from possible developers and secure affordable rent.

• Coop Members will pay a lower monthly amount for their space
• Non-members monthly rent will be $35-$55 more per month; HV Coop to determine the amount
• All revenue benefits the park/residents and will no longer line the pockets of a traditional owner or corp
• Rent increases are controlled by Coop; average increase is once every 3-5 years at $10 per month (CASA statistic)
• Members determine how the park is run (improvements, rules, spending), your opinion and vote counts
• Quality of life and resale value will increase as the property improves and community comes together
• $100 Coop membership may be paid now or $5 per month (paid in full by April 1, 2023), 100% refundable

Where do I submit my Coop membership payment?

• Cash or Checks payable to Harbor Village Cooperative:  923 SE Bay Blvd #20, Newport, OR 97365
  
• Membership payments (feedback & surveys) may be dropped in black HVC box in mail kiosk outside laundry room on MH driveway
• Request membership form at [email protected] or download membership form here.
  

Why has my membership check not been cashed yet?

Checks written early on to CASA of Oregon, were cashed on March 15 by CASA. Those funds are being transferred to the HV Cooperative. More recent checks written to Harbor Village Cooperative have not been cashed yet. We will open a HVC bank account next door at the Oregon Coast Bank. This should happen by the end of April.

Will my rent increase?

CASA of Oregon and the HVC BOD is doing everything possible to take advantage of low interest loans and grants. We will not know the final figures for a few weeks. CASA is working on securing funding and bridge loans for the HV Coop and when everything is in place, members of the HV Coop will vote YES or NO to proceed. Currently it appears residents will have to bear a higher rent rate in the first 24-36 months before we can lock in a lower rate moving forward. With 2020's COVID-19 and Oregon wildfires, funding is not available in 2021 as it has been in the past. We have options and we are working hard to protect HV's low rent status. The current deal includes a $115 per month rent increase (down from a range of $125 - $275), gradually phased in over three years. Once the Coop has purchased the park the gradual increase will be as follows: $38 per month in 2021, $38 per month in 2022, $39 per month in 2023. This is good news as these increases are less than the amount a new owner could legally raise rent annually. The current minimum an owner could raise rents would start at approximately $45 per month and that get larger each year with possibly no end in sight.

Will the HV staff lose their jobs?

There are certain requirements to receiving Federal funding, some of which mandate how the park operations are run for the first 24 months. Hiring an external management company may be one of those conditions. If this is the case, the staff will be able to reapply for their positions with Commonwealth management company who will perform payroll, front office and accounting support. The staff will be offered a 90 day probationary period as of June 1.

When do I start paying rent to the Harbor Village Coop?

In general, Coop members will vote by online or paper ballot in the last week of April to approve the sale. The sale will then, officially "close" by June 1. Only at closing will all contracts be switched into the name of the Coop. This includes executing a new lease with the HV Coop. June 1 is the  date that rents will be made out to the Harbor Village Cooperative. Until then, the current owner will continue to collect rent, as usual. If you have pre-paid rent with the current owner,  contact them for a refund. 

How can I stay up to date?
Join us every Thursday at 6:00pm for a weekly resident update and BOD meeting. The HV Steering Committe, now the HVC interim Board of Directors have operated in a transparent manner and want all residents to be on the same page. If you hear something and are concerned it is rumor, drop us a line at [email protected].