Mobile Home Park Residents Have Council Weight Behind Them

In Lafayette the attention of the City Council may help residents of the Arbordale Acres neighborhood deal with onerous lease requirements set on them by their property manager. Read about it in the Camera. The article describes Councilor Frank Phillips suggesting (and the Council agreeing) Kingsley Management Corp. must sit down with Arbordale residents to discuss their concerns before its mobile home park license is renewed.

There are legitimate gripes, and focusing on the rental park license is the way to bring pressure on them to explain their rationale for their lease terms.

A concern: in the world of return-on-investment-to headache ratios, abusive property management tactics can be worth it financially. But vigilant City Councils end up shining the spotlight on abusive tactics by management companies and by extension the property owners. If they realize they can't profit by being overbearing or otherwise lax in their management, and they may have their license revoked by being more accountable, they could just say the heck with it and kick everyone out and redevelop the whole neighborhood into townhomes worth more money. Elsewhere in Lafayette, the Shady Acres mobile home park is going to redevelop after facing sewer and other maintenance issues and the current residents will be displaced.

Working over seniors and lower-income folks is not always noticed or prioritized by elected officials. This is just the kind of big brother role you want to see a Council take on. As long as the emotions don't run too high and Kingsley actually wants to keep managing a mobile home park, the city should retain an affordable neighborhood.