Old Bridge Village Co-Op

Old Bridge Village Co-Op is a 55-plus, resident-owned manufactured-home cooperative on the Caloosahatchee River in North Fort Myers, legally organized in 1972 as Old Bridge Village Co-Op, Inc. and governed by an elected resident Board of Directors. Its ownership structure genuinely reconciles a common point of confusion in secondary sources: some listing sites describe it as resident-owned while manufactured-home directories list it functionally as a land-lease community, and both are partially correct because the co-op offers both "share" homes (where the buyer owns a proportional interest in the land-owning corporation) and "non-share" homes (where the buyer instead pays monthly rent without owning a share) — a hybrid structure worth explaining clearly to prospective buyers rather than flattening into a single label. The community totals 788 platted home sites, with roughly 700 currently occupied, and its most distinctive amenity is a private marina on the Caloosahatchee River, though this research could not confirm whether that marina is the same facility as a separately named "Old Bridge Marina" business nearby or a related-but-distinct operation. Old Bridge Village’s single most significant, well-documented piece of history is Hurricane Ian’s impact in September 2022: WINK News reported that of roughly 60 boats moored at the community’s marina before the storm, only 3 survived intact, with one resident who had been living aboard a 34-foot yacht there saying "our marina got wiped out." Separately, WLRN (syndicated by WUSF and WGCU/PBS-NPR) reported evacuees returning to find Old Bridge Village "submerged in water," with detached roofs and boats crushing mobile homes, describing the scene as "total destruction." Given the community’s 1972 origin, a meaningful share of its original housing stock likely predates the 1994 HUD wind-code standards that materially improved manufactured-housing storm resilience nationally, though the community’s own materials note new construction has continued over the decades, meaning some or much of the current stock may be newer than the 1972 founding date implies; the current mix of older versus newer homes was not independently confirmed in this research. A Lee County parcel record for one co-op-owned property lists a FEMA base flood elevation of 7 feet, consistent with the community’s general riverfront flood exposure, though this reflects one parcel rather than a certified community-wide elevation. The co-op has a documented litigation history: Connelly v. Old Bridge Village Co-Op, Inc., a published 2005 Florida appellate decision, resolved a property-line dispute among the co-op, a shareholder couple, and a related corporate entity, though this case is now two decades old and not evidence of any current dispute. Reported monthly fees for non-share residents range from roughly $603 to $640 depending on source and date, while the exact current Member Assessment for share-owning residents could not be found; this research also found no dedicated news coverage of Old Bridge Village for 2023-2026 beyond the 2022 Ian coverage, leaving open questions about the marina’s rebuild status and any post-Ian fee changes that a prospective buyer should ask about directly. Given the community’s documented storm-surge history and its low-lying riverfront position, buyers should also confirm current flood-insurance costs and availability for the specific home under consideration, since manufactured housing generally faces a tighter, more expensive insurance market statewide than comparable site-built homes. Buyers considering a share purchase versus a non-share rental unit should also request a side-by-side comparison of total costs from the co-op office directly, since the two ownership tracks carry meaningfully different long-term financial exposure that this research could not fully quantify from public sources alone, and the co-op office is best positioned to walk through that comparison in detail, including current property-tax treatment and any pending Member Assessment changes, for a specific home under active consideration, since these figures were not consistently available from any of the secondary sources reviewed in this research, and treating any single web listing as authoritative on cost could lead to an unpleasant surprise after closing.

Age Restriction

Old Bridge Village Co-Op is confirmed as a 55-plus, age-restricted community, legally organized as Old Bridge Village Co-Op, Inc., in North Fort Myers, and governed by an elected resident Board of Directors. Its ownership structure genuinely reconciles a common source conflict: some listing sources describe it as a resident-owned cooperative, while manufactured-home directory sites (MHVillage, MHBO) list it functionally as a "land-lease community" — both are partially accurate, because the co-op sells homes two ways: "share" homes, where the buyer purchases a cooperative share giving a proportional ownership interest in the land-owning corporation, and "non-share" homes, where the buyer instead pays monthly rent to the co-op without owning a share. Share-owning residents pay a separate Member Assessment and are responsible for their own property taxes; non-share residents pay rent that bundles in taxes.

Housing Types

• Manufactured/mobile homes

Pricing

Old Bridge Village dates to 1972 and totals 788 platted home sites, with roughly 700 currently occupied by manufactured homes. Homes typically run 960 to 1,426 square feet with 2-3 bedrooms and 2 baths. One source cites 220 total acres, though this could not be independently corroborated by a second source and should be treated as unverified; a separate, better-supported figure describes an 8.5-acre riverfront greenspace as one specific on-site feature. Reported pricing conflicts substantially across aggregators: asking prices ranging $55,900 to $249,000 community-wide, a median listing price around $230,000 for mobile homes generally versus $155,000 for waterfront-specific listings, and trailing-12-month sales data showing an average selling price of $142,431 across 38 properties with roughly 174 to 195 days on market depending on source. These figures should be presented as an approximate range rather than a single number.

Fees & Assessments

HOA Dues: Non-share "Homeowner" residents pay reported rent of roughly $603 to $640 per month depending on source and listing date, covering 24-hour manned gatehouse security, waste and recycling pickup, and maintenance and landscaping of common areas and amenities; this figure is explicitly caveated by at least one directory as subject to change without notice and should be independently reconfirmed before publication. Share-owning "Shareholder" residents instead pay a separate monthly Member Assessment, whose current dollar amount could not be found in this research, and are responsible for their own property taxes rather than having them bundled into a rent payment.

Amenities

• A private marina on the Caloosahatchee River, though this research could not confirm its exact current slip count (one source cites 81 slips; a separately named "Old Bridge Marina" business nearby is described elsewhere as having 53 slips rebuilt in 2002, and this research could not confirm whether these describe the same facility)
• Waterfront location on the Caloosahatchee River, across from downtown Fort Myers
• Two outdoor heated pools plus a spa
• Clubhouse with a fitness center, game room, craft room, and multipurpose gathering spaces
• Tennis, pickleball, shuffleboard, and horseshoe courts, plus a putting green
• 24-hour manned gatehouse

Getting Around

Healthcare: Lee Memorial Hospital, a Level II Trauma Center and part of the Lee Health system, is reported at approximately 7 miles from the community.

Airport: Southwest Florida International Airport is reported inconsistently across sources at roughly 12 to 18 miles, or about 20 to 25 minutes. Publix, ALDI, Target, CVS, and Walgreens are cited as nearby, with downtown Fort Myers roughly 5 miles south across the river.