T he city has purchased new land to relocate an aging inner-city mobile home park, but residents still have questions about how the move will work and how much their rent will rise.
People living in the 183 homes in Midfield Park were notified this week that a new site has been found, but they won’t receive more information until future one-on-one sessions.
Residents will be staying in the Mountview location until the summer of 2012.
“It beats a last-minute plan,” said park resident Rob MacMillan of the two-year notice.
But MacMillan, who moved to the park last year with his fiancee, said there are still questions about how much lot rents will increase and what will be included in those fees.
“We looked at trailers all over the city before we bought this one and this had the fairest lot rent,” Mac-Millan said.
Residents own their own trailers but pay a monthly fee for their Midfield space — $575 a month for lots with a golf course view, $525 for those without and reduced rates for low-income residents.
Ald. Joe Ceci said new lot rates haven’t been determined.
“But we have the ability to look at rental subsidies,” he said, adding about one-third of current park residents pay a reduced rate.
One longtime resident who didn’t want his name used said he still has more questions than answers about what his future holds after the city’s visit Monday.
Residents, many of whom are seniors and most who would prefer to stay where they are, have previously expressed concern about the timetable for the move and what their options will be. As well, the new site is at the city’s eastern edge, around 84th Street and south of 16th Avenue, while the existing location is closer to amenities such as grocery stores and medical services.
“We’re younger, it’s not going to affect us too much,” MacMillan said of the new location. “But for the elderly citizens in here it might be a little harder for them. Or if they don’t have a vehicle or don’t drive.”
While residents were notified of the new location Monday, an appointment for a longer meeting was also set, which will include representatives from an outside agency to help residents make decisions, said James Robertson, the director of the city’s office of land servicing and housing.
City staff have been working on a solution for the city-owned Midfield for years, after ongoing infrastructure problems came to a head mid-decade.
With aging sewer and water pipes needing frequent repairs, the city began exploring its options for the site, which sits on 6.8 hectares of prime inner-city land overlooking a golf course at 16th Avenue and 9th Street N.E.
Estimates from 2005 pegged the cost of continuing to repair the infrastructure at $6 million over 25 years. The same estimates placed the cost of replacing the pipes at between $6.5 million and $10 million.
There was talk of selling the land to the residents, but it would have cost them between $13.6 million and $17 million at the time. Now the city has purchased a larger piece of land at the eastern edge of the city where Midfield residents can move.
“Everybody at Midfield will have the right to move to the new park,” Robertson said. “There’s a concerted effort at managing the best transition as possible for the current residents.”
Robertson said residents will be given a moving allowance, up to a maximum that hasn’t yet been established, to either move to the new mobile home park or somewhere else.
kguttormson@theherald.canwest.com
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