The Sunset Acres Story...
Sunset Acres opened in 1985 and has grown into a 24-site, resident-owned manufactured home community.
But that transition didn't happen overnight. We began the move toward controlling our own destiny in September of 2015. That's when, with the help of Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) and ROC USA, LLC, we formed Sunset Acres Cooperative, that would, on Feb. 24, 2016, purchase and take control of our community.
Now, the resident-owned community (ROC) is not only a successful business, but also a thriving neighborhood. The process of the resident-owned community buying the land beneath our neighborhood 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. We're running the business that is our community on our terms, by our rules, for the betterment of ourselves and our neighbors.
Sunset Acres couldn't be better situated in Thomaston, in the mid-coast region of Maine. A family-friendly neighborhood, we are located just a mile from downtown Rockland, with a true down-home feel. There are many islands nearby in Rockland Harbor, only a short ferry-ride away. For outdoor enthusiasts, our community is near Oyster River Bog, also known as the Rockland Bog, a 6,000-acre woodland, that provides hiking and walking in the woods for people of all ages. The Georges Highland Path has 50 miles of trails along the Georges River and includes the Thomaston Village Trail, a three-mile urban sidewalk right in town. Only 15 minutes from the historic 1825 Owls Head Lighthouse or Birch Point Beach State Park, Sunset Acres has many opportunities for summer fun. We are five minutes from Sandy Beach. Fishing and lobsters remain important to the heritage of our coastal Maine town. Rockland, labeled the “Coolest Small Town in U.S.” by Budget Travel, is home to an annual Lobster Festival and the North Atlantic Blues Festival. The Maine Lighthouse Museum is in Rockland, along with the Farnsworth Museum with more than 10,000 works on display. With larger grocery stores and a movie theater less than one mile away, we have easy access to amenities of a larger community. Portland and Bangor are both an hour and a half from Sunset Acres and Bar Harbor is two hours farther up the Maine coast.
Ask anyone who lives in Sunset Acres, and we're sure they'll tell you it's a little slice of heaven.
