GALLATIN COUNTY — In July, residents at King Arthur Park and at Mountain Meadow Estates say they saw their communities up for sale online — which they say could lead to rent hikes and displacement. Now, residents at both parks are unionizing to become a resident-owned community.
“We are Montana and we are not up for sale,” Timaree Driscoll, president of the King Arthur Park tenants union, said at a press conference on Thursday. At the conference, tenants of both King Arthur Park and Mountain Meadows Estates came together with Bozeman Tenants United to announce their respective unions.
“We really want to be a resident-owned community so that we take control of the properties that we live on and we collaboratively make decisions for ourselves,” said Driscoll in an interview with MTN.
Driscoll has lived in King Arthur Park for three years with her kids and says it’s been an enjoyable place to live for the whole family.
“They like to play at the pool, they like to have their cousins over to play at the pool,” she said.
Now, Driscoll says she’s worried about being displaced if the park is sold.
“Many of us are either, you know, single parent homes or on fixed incomes or, you know, other financial challenges already,” said Driscoll.
Over the past two weeks, residents from both parks say they have banded together to stop the sale of their communities to a new buyer by Billings-based landowner Oakland Companies.
“I’m afraid that if we don’t get it as a resident-owned community, that the new buyer may jack up the rates to where we can’t afford it on our fixed incomes – or worse displace us for new development,” said Nathanael Homan, president of the Mountain Meadows Estates tenant union. He’s lived there since 2011.
Together, King Arthur Park and Mountain Meadows Estates have 338 units. Bozeman Tenants United say the parks make up 30% of all mobile home housing in the Bozeman area.
“Between these two parks, they give Gary Oakland 3.5 million dollars a year in rent, which means that when they come together there’s, you know, there’s power on the table to actually have a say in their future,” said Emily LaShelle, organizing director for Bozeman Tenants Union.
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MTN reached out to Oakland Companies to confirm this number and did not receive a response. MTN also spoke with Oakland Companies CEO Gary Oakland ahead of the press conference. Oakland said he wants to sell this property because he is looking to retire and that he values his customers.
At Thursday’s press conference, tenants urged Gary Oakland to work with them.
“We’re not asking for a handout…just a hand up so we can make this purchase. And when that happens, we all win,” said Debi Rooks, a resident at King Arthur Park.
Residents have received support from all three Gallatin County commissioners. The deadline for bid offers for the two parks was Friday. Tenants now await Gary Oakland’s response to their request.
