Alma Gardens Mobile Home And Rv Park – A mobile home in Mesa Park RV is trying to evict longtime resident Katya Shunk.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a response from Good Living Ventures, owner of the Mesa Gardens RV Park.
Alma Gardens Mobile Home And Rv Park
On a typical Thursday in November Dozens of residents of Mesa RV Park found a note stuck to their door. The letter was short: They had 90 days to leave.
How Small Can Housing Go? Developer Proposes ‘microstudios’
The announcement sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community of mobile homeowners in downtown Mesa. Many of them have lived there for years or even decades. when the days pass The villagers band together and fight to stay in their homes — another dwindling parking lot in the valley tries to push the residents away.
The story of Park Mesa has a familiar shape. It started two years ago. When multinational investors enter the city
In 2019, Park Mesa changed for the first time in decades. since then Nine residents of the park and documents reviewed by The Phoenix New Times said the new owners violated state law by raising rents without warning. This left residents without water for days before finally evicting them. They are outlawed from the park.
“Where did they kick us out?” said one resident, who goes by the nickname Miguel. “It’s not human.”
Mesa Trailer Park Residents Fear Eviction During Holidays
The New Times agreed to withhold the full names of several residents interviewed for the story to avoid retaliation. Many residents said they faced threats from park owners. Especially as tensions have intensified in recent weeks.
“This is a community,” said Pam Bridges, an attorney for Community Legal Services, a legal nonprofit that represents Park Mesa residents. “This is a group of people who have lived there their whole lives. They have known each other for many years. They are the children who grew up here.”
Bridges added that whenever a mobile home park closes, it’s “very painful”. “But in this case, the landlord was at fault,” he said.
Under Arizona law The landlord must notify the owner of the mobile home trailer park. “at least one hundred and eighty days prior to arrival” not 90 days notice of cancellation
E Golf Ave, Mesa, Az 85209
A landlord must have a “reason” to evict a tenant under rules other than those listed in the notice. This may be the case when the tenant breaches the lease. But in the report reviewed by the New Times, no one made such allegations. Land use change is also a good cause.
A spokesman for the Arizona Department of Housing confirmed that the eviction notice violates state law. An agency spokeswoman said the agency began contacting park owners following a New Times investigation and complaints the agency received from residents.
Several calls and emails to Good Life Adventures and company management about Park Mesa went unanswered. After the story went public, company founder Michael Horton issued a written statement defending plagiarism.
“Park Mesa is making every effort to prevent displacement and alleviate the suffering of our residents,” Horton wrote. However, some situations are inevitable. and if evacuation is required, Park Mesa will comply with applicable laws. Park Mesa remains committed to providing safe and affordable housing opportunities for Mesa communities and residents.
S Alma School Rd #16, Mesa, Az 85210
Mesa Gardens was bought by an investor who stabilized the property. Then immediately issued an eviction notice.
In the past two years Denver, Colorado-based investment firm Good Life Adventures has quietly purchased a mobile home park. throughout the state of Arizona
The company describes its mission statement as “mainstream” and “promoting value.” Its website is nice and modern. Full of these slogans along with a picture of a spa-like train park The company said Horton grew up in working-class Oklahoma. which the company specializes in land procurement
“We transform abandoned and neglected properties into safe, clean and thriving communities,” Good Life said in a statement. Our goal is to prove that profitability and doing the right thing are not mutually exclusive. “
Alma Dr, Melbourne, Fl 32904
There is, of course, “profit” part of the equation. Resort parks in Arizona and elsewhere have become increasingly attractive to realtors as property values have skyrocketed in recent years. These parks were bought by private investors and corporate owners. This is even more true of the Valley’s white-hot home market.
Good Life may be small compared to investors like the Blackstone Group, which holds a majority stake in real estate firm Phoenix, but it has been expanding in Arizona, the New Times has learned.
A search of property records found more than a dozen RV parks in Arizona purchased over a two-year period, including Sundial RV Park in Peoria, Green Acres RV & Mobile Home Park in Phoenix, and Estella Valley Mobile Home Park with whom. The company has parks in seven states. Mostly in the West and Midwest. by online partner list
Mesa Park was part of the Good Life Shopping Panel for the first time in 2019. Trucks are in a good location: on Main Street, where the railroad runs through downtown Mesa. Now there are RVs and campers—and RVs. and the snowy birds that fly through the park with its inhabitants who have been in the park for five, ten or twenty years.
S Sossaman Rd, Mesa, Az 85209
Residents told the New Times they felt welcomed by the new owners. For many years this garden has disappeared. The road was broken up, full of potholes. Something is being fed. when the good life comes The owner began to pay attention to the landscape for the first time in several years. garden cleaning New gravel and asphalt paving residents said
However, the longtime residents of the park who mostly lived in trailers rather than RVs, were uncomfortable with the new changes. One resident, who wished to remain anonymous recounts a conversation she had with her elderly neighbor after the new owners moved in.
“You know it’s like they fixed the park to cover the rent,” Citizen said. In the end, she left him.”
The man’s guess was correct. higher rent According to many residents — and the receipts reviewed by the New Times — some have seen rents rise by hundreds of dollars this year. which was the month before the residents of the park were evicted.
E Arcadia Ave, Mesa, Az 85206
Many residents choose this park because of the low cost of living. Most of them owned their own trucks and used to pay $450 or $500 a month in rent for space. Some are retired and on social security. Others are single parents raising multiple children. When the rent skyrocketed to $800 without warning. It’s a burden for some people.
Residents said they were never notified of the rent increase. which Paul said was illegal “They are not authorized to do so,” he said. “You must give reasonable notice.”
While the villagers said that there was a water problem. According to reports and audio recordings from five residents, the truck has run out of water several times this year. sometimes for several days There was never a warning or rush from the property manager to fix the problem.
Residents say the park’s focus is on trying to be an “RV resort,” a place to accommodate temporary guests and the wealthy. Many of them have more dirt roads than long-term residents in mobile homes 60 and 70.
S Recker Rd #51, Mesa, Az 85206
So Eliza Beltran was no surprise when she found an eviction notice in her old truck in November of that year. He stated that the park was not closed, but had “changed its use.” 90 days ago, Mesa Park only accepted RVs. Everyone in the mobile home had to pack up.
Beltran, single mother having a daughter in class The family has lived there for over a decade. “What I want is to give them time to find new homes,” he said. “I want to find a good place. But I need time to do it.”
As it turns out, the 90-day eviction notice outweighs the monstrosity of evicting residents from their homes for the holidays, a violation of state law. The Arizona Mobile Landlords and Tenants Act states that landlords must give tenants 180 days’ notice in such situations. The government must also be notified.
“Obviously they violated the Mobile Home Act,” said Bridges. “There were things they did wrong.