Palo Alto City Council Approves Plan To Close Buena Vista Mobile-Home Park

[KamaAina]

http://patch.com/california/paloalto/palo-alto-city-council-approves-plan-close-buena-vista-mobile-home-park

The Palo Alto City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an application that will close the city’s only mobile home park, a decision that has been in the making for two and a half years.

All nine council members voted to close Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, home to more than 400 residents, most of whom are Hispanic and with low incomes.

Toufic Jisser, who owns the 5-acre park at 3980 El Camino Real through a family trust, submitted an application in November 2012 to close the site and sell it to a private developer.

Under state law, the City Council can only approve an application to close a mobile home park, but can hear an appeal on proposed relocation and compensation measures.

That is essentially "Shallow Alto"'s entire Latin@ community.

[KamaAina]

1. Nonprofit group hoping to save Buena Vista Mobile Park in Palo Alto

http://abc7news.com/news/nonprofit-group-hoping-to-save-buena-vista-mobile-park-/701379/

A nonprofit that operates mobile home parks as affordable housing has stepped into the picture in Palo Alto.

That's where 400 residents of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park are facing eviction because the owner wants to sell the land for development.

Buena Vista would continue to be a moderately priced mobile home park under the ownership of Caritas Corporation, an Orange County based nonprofit that owns 20 similar properties across California, including Rohnert Park and Vacaville.

"Their mission is to do just what we need which is to rescue a distressed mobile home park and then preserve it as a source of affordable housing for the future, explained Joe Simitian with Santa Clara County.

[NV Whino]

2. Oh no!

Whatever will Palo Alto do if its maids and gardeners have to move?



I hope the park is saved. We are all going to have to move to Nebraska to be able to afford rent. The upside is, we could turn Nebraska blue.

[Brother Buzz]

3. There's always East Palo Alto

Which, very conveniently is a twofer; Palo Alto looses their eyesore, and adjacent East Palo Alto is in another county so their social services budget doesn't take a hit.

[KamaAina]

5. Most of the rental units in East Palo Alto are owned by one company

which has steadily been raising rates and squeezing its poor people out.

[Brother Buzz]

6. Hell, just grow East Palo Alto east, easy peasy

Plenty of underutilized bay and mudflats to the east that is just screaming to get filled in and built on.

Do I need to use that sarcasm smiley thingy?

[NBachers]

4. This story really hits me in my guts. Just imagine being in this predicament. We may all be soon.

Paying the rent, paying down the mobile home; where can you put it after you've lost your space? How many of them can't be moved?

I hope the Caritas deal goes through. What a tragedy for all these people.