Our History

The Michigan Community Land Cooperative was possible because of the strong relationships among group equity housing co-ops in the state.  The spark was the pending retirements of Dave Rugg and Jim Jones and a mutual desire for more properties to be permanently reserved for use as cooperative housing. Most immediately, Grand Rapids Alliance of Cooperative Communities (GRACC) sought to buy Atlantis from Allen Creek Grand Rapids, LCC.  Allen Creek is Jim Jones’ company that purchased all of the properties GRACC has occupied in Grand Rapids.  In the Fall of 2022 Dave, Jim and Holly Jo Sparks rekindled an ongoing discussion about scaling up cooperative development in Michigan.

On October 24, 2022, Jim Jones invited a group of ICC members and staff via email (PDF Attached) to meet Dave Rugg and Holly Jo Sparks.  Gaia Kile, who owns the properties in Ann Arbor where Spring Collective reside, was copied in case he might be available to meet as well.  Dave was in Ann Arbor for NASCO Institute, but got sidetracked into this more interesting activity. There were several meetings with Jim and Dave related to ideas for cooperative development during the NASCO weekend from November 4-6 (itinerary attached in word).  Holly Jo and Ester Lee represented SHC.  Bryant Hepp, Maggie O’Connor, Susan Caya and Brian Donovan represented ICC.

That weekend the group decided to convene a larger meeting including representatives from all of the NASCO type co-ops in the state to talk about development.  After much doodling, representatives from GRACC (Grand Rapids), KCH (Kalamazoo), SHC, ICC, and the Spring Collective were confirmed to attend on Dec 12, 2022 in E. Lansing at the Spartan Housing Coop office. Nola Warner, the former Member Services Coordinator at SHC, was hired to facilitate the meeting (Thinking Development Background doc attached).

Members and staff from coops around the state continued to meet over the next few months to consider founding an organization that could start to buy properties to be operated as housing coops over the long-term.  

By July a set of proposals (attached in word) was brought to the steering committee for consideration.  These included incorporating a new entity that would seek 501(c)(3) status as well as endorsing methods for capitalizing the organization to enable real estate purchases.

Following the meeting in July, Articles of Incorporation were developed and Michigan Community Land Cooperative was formed on October 5, 2023 (pdf attached).  A little over a month later on the Saturday of NASCO Institute, the first meeting of the board was held at the offices of ICC in Ann Arbor.  The bylaws of MCLC were passed by the board (attached).  In January 2024 we applied to the IRS for 501(c)(3) tax status.  While we didn't learn about it until late October 2024, due to some communication glitches with the IRS, we received 501(c)(3) status in late March 2024.

Having obtained 501(c)(3) charitable status, we did some fundraising and in November 2024 we purchased our first properties. Technically, nothing too exciting; just some vacant lots in Grand Rapids (the closing for that purchase is shown above). But these vacant lots are adjacent to the Polaris properties, and we believe they will offer interesting development opportunities with Polaris over time. Future development opportunities are great, but we are also very interested in providing affordable cooperative housing now. In August 2025 we purchased the property hosting the Atlantis community from Allen Creek, providing the Atlantis community a permanent home. (With many thanks to Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF) and Rochdale Capital for providing the mortgage financing!) Although GRACC wasn't able to assemble financing to purchase the Atlantis property itself, GRACC is still involved as the property manager for the Atlantis community.