Mobile Home Park Sold: What's Next for Residents?
R. Maude Madsen , Staff Writer
Published 05/18/2007 - 12:00 a.m. PDT

The Mission Valley Village Mobile Home Park on Mission Gorge Road has been sold, leaving renters in limbo regarding their future.

Much to the disappointment, fear and anger of the senior citizen residents, the Mission Valley Village Mobile Home Park on Mission Gorge Road has been sold, leaving renters in limbo regarding their future.

The Park, which has 119 mobile homes on 10.6 acres, was sold to Archstone-Smith, one of the nation's largest apartment home developers with a large number of projects in San Diego. The escrow closed on February 21 with a selling price of $15 million.

The residents were informed of the sale at a meeting of the Home Owners Association in April but were left  speculating about their situation and their rights, although the Archstone representative indicated it would take two to three years to complete the plans.
According to Homer Barrs, president of the HOA, the residents for three years had inquired about getting the first right of refusal if the Village were ever put up for sale.

Every time they were informed that the property was not for sale. In October the on-site manager was fired and the HOA had to deal with the property management company and for four months it was difficult to make contact to have things repaired and maintained. In December the HOA hired an attorney and filed suit against the property owner for failure to maintain the park and the HOA again requested their first right of refusal for purchasing the park. The response was that "the park is not for sale."

There is no explanation for the property owner's refusal to admit that a sale was in the works. In fact Homer Barrs believes that the owner did not know the park had been sold since 6 days after the escrow closed the attorney for the former owner sent a letter to the HOA asking what led them to believe the park was for sale.

The answer might be in the fact that the Beverly Hills owner, Carolyn Ortiz, a year ago had signed over power of attorney to Norton Karno, an attorney for the Church of Scientology and the late L.Ron Hubbard. Ortiz had purchased the Village from her late father's estate for $4.2 million in 1998. It's possible Karno acted on his own in negotiating the sale to Archstone.

Meanwhile the distraught senior citizens in Mission Valley Mobile Home Park are fearing their future, not knowing what kind of package will be offered to them. Especially at risk are the nine residents whose homes are for sale-who would buy into such a situation? Other residents, many on fixed incomes, simply can't afford to move. It could cost as much as $50,000 to relocate a large mobile home, even if space could be found for it.   Also, rents in mobile home parks are continually on the rise. At Mission Valley Village, the space rent which was $485 per month in January 2005 had risen to $725 in 2007.

Note: Look for Part II of this continuing story in the next issue of the Mission Times Courier as more of the details and intrigue come forth.

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Letter: Going up and up and up

Editor, Daily News:

Residents in Naples Estates own their homes but not the land on which they stand.

On Jan. 31, they received a 90-day notice from Cal-Am Properties (owned by Norton S.
Karno), informing them of an impending monthly rent increase of more than 68.5
percent.

This increase is on top of the already high monthly rent which homeowners have to pay
for their land and service charge, which has increased considerably over the past 10
years since Cal-Am Properties has owned the park.

Naples Estates is a well-established mobile home park for people 55 years of age and
over. There are approximately 500 units in the park and a considerable number of
residents have lived here for many years - and it is their only home.

A large proportion of them are elderly men and women living alone who are unable to
afford such an exorbitant increase. Residents include war veterans who fought for
their country in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Is this the way to treat our heroes?
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/feb/08/letters_editor_feb_8/