CLEVELAND, Ohio – Facing a possible exodus from their long-time homes, residents of a lakefront mobile home park in North Collinwood have formed a tenant union and are demanding to stay in place. And if they are forced to leave, residents are demanding ample time for planning -- and compensation for the homes they may lose.
“They got this land they could sell to the Metroparks, and turn it from private to public to create more green space. That makes sense, right?” said 15-year mobile home park resident A. Stephen Beard, 58. “The only problem is, there happens to be 150 people who live here.” “The Western Reserve Land Conservancy has a unique opportunity to help our community thrive and grow into an affordable, safe, and comfortable place -- or to act as yet another out-of-touch developer, trampling over the homes and lives of locals in the name of vague promises of ‘progress,’” the tenant union stated in its letter.The mobile home park was established in the 1980s after the 1969 closure of the Euclid Beach amusement park.
Johnson said many other mobile home parks won’t allow older models like theirs to move in. And even if they did, the cost of hiring a company to move such a home can range several thousand dollars.Challenges of staying The prior owner had been charging residents for the full price of water, even though more than half of it had been leaking into the ground via faulty pipes long before it reached anyone’s home, Zone said. The result was a 2018 class action lawsuit and out-of-court settlement for lost water consumption, he said.
The land conservancy says it has tried to do right by residents since buying the property. Since December, it has spent $90,000 to add individual water meters to each property to ensure residents are not overpaying, plus thousands more on tree removal, pothole repairs, street sign replacements, new security cameras, management, and veterinary and re-homing services for the cats, Zone said.
The study underway could recommend closure of the entire park or a “significant” portion of it, he said. Both Beard and Johnson suspect the conservancy’s ultimate decision will result in them having to leave, so they fear they won’t have enough time to plan or save money for relocation.