- Owns the clubhouse at 6314 Bannockburn Drive and two parcels of land nearby
- Has a long-term agreement with BCC which manages the clubhouse
- Helps to promote the cooperative spirit of the community
- Works with BCA and NAN on matters of community interest
- Has a board of directors to oversee its functions and maintain shareholder records
History
Bannockburn Cooperators, Inc. was an outgrowth of an organization called Group Housing Cooperative (GHC), which formed in 1944 to explore locations where potential cooperative communities could be established. One such area, the Bannockburn Golf Club, was auctioned off in April 1946 and “Cooperator Properties, Inc.” (CPI), which was related to the larger GHC, was the original title holder of the property.
CPI gave GHC an option to purchase the land, and GHC subsequently voted to assign this option to a new non-profit corporation, “Bannockburn Cooperators, Inc.” (BCI), which was to be composed solely of future residents of the Bannockburn property. BCI was incorporated on August 5, 1946 and title was passed to it December 1946.
Although the original idea was for the BCI to own all property and housing, for a variety of reasons this did not happen. The bylaws were changed in 1948 to provide for individual ownership of lots and houses. The focus shifted to building a cooperative community by establishing a nursery school and encouraging social activities centered on the Clubhouse.
In 1964, BCI amended its charter and bylaws to change its purpose from nonprofit housing development to promotion of moral, spiritual, ethical, and physical well-being of all persons in the community, a mission which it maintains to this day.
BCI does not collect dues. Rather, its members consist of those in the neighborhood who have purchased shares or inherited shares from previous house owners. Owners of properties within a two-mile radius of the Bannockburn Clubhouse can be shareholders either by transfer from a prior owner or by $10 purchase. Shareholders have a voice in major decisions regarding the clubhouse, its surrounding grounds, and two parcels of land in the valley.
The shaded areas of the map to the right show the boundaries of the clubhouse grounds as well as BCI’s two triangular pieces of land in what is commonly known as “the valley.” These pieces are mostly surrounded by county right of ways that were roads which never were constructed. In the true cooperative spirit, Bannockburn residents help to maintain these parcels of land by mowing, planting, and weeding them. In addition, a huge pine tree is dressed in holiday lights that can be seen throughout December.