Mobile park division approved

The Planning Commission has approved a proposal by owners of a mobile home park to allow tenants to buy their lots — a move many residents fear will lead to rent increases that might force some of them out.

Planners voted 6 to 1 Tuesday to subdivide the Huntington Shorecliffs Mobile Home Park, 20701 Beach Blvd. Commission Chairman Blair Farley dissented.

“I would support conversion if the residents supported conversion, and that clearly is not the case,” Farley said.

The park’s owners plan to carve up the nearly 40-acre lot so residents can buy or continue renting.

“It’s about creating opportunities, and it’s about giving residents the opportunities to own their property if they want,” said attorney Robert Coldren, who represents the park’s owners.

Some residents, however, are concerned many of their neighbors won’t be able to afford to continue living in the park when prices increase.

Sharon Dana, a resident of Shorecliffs for 12 years, doesn’t know if she is going to stay. She said she likes the idea of buying because it would ensure a steady monthly payment, but doesn’t know who is going to give a senior a 30-year loan.

“If this is not economic eviction, I don’t know what is,” Dana said.

The park’s owners said rents will go up with or without the subdivision when leases expire, but they don’t want to force out anybody and discussed financial assistance programs.

“The issue of displacing a resident is simply and completely a non-issue,” Coldren said.

The commission also added a condition requiring the owners to fix the park’s storm drains — an estimated $600,000 improvement.

Residents showed pictures of standing water and flooded streets and talked about mold and mildew in their homes.

Dana said the roads are higher than the houses, causing water to flood under, and some of the houses are sinking into the muck. Storm water drains into the park and can carry pesticides, animal feces and motor oil, resident William Seymour said.

“Never in my 60-plus years of construction experience have I seen a municipality allow storm drain runoff into a private property,” Seymour said.

Several residents are involved with two lawsuits against the park, alleging that the owners have taken inadequate care of the grounds and charged residents fees not included in lease agreements.