Residents of a Springfield mobile home park that got rezoned will NOT have to move, as previously reported. KLCC has this update on the park, which is also no longer called “The Patrician.”
Since their park was rezoned in 2019, residents feared they’d be pushed onto the streets to make way for an upscale development.
Lane County Commissioner Joe Berney told KLCC their fortunes changed.
“What happened was a group that was established to assist residents of manufactured home parks form cooperatives, called CASA of Oregon was trying to cobble together an offer for public funds, at the same time help the residents organize a cooperative," said Berney. "So there was a legal mechanism for them to assume ownership.”
Berney said he talked to Homes for Good, which made a $50,000 deposit to save the escrow, which in turn gave CASA and partners time to raise nearly $14 million to purchase the park.
Berney added now he’s looking for legislative partners to address future situations.
“One thing we need to do -to mitigate a good chunk of the speculation, pure profit motive for owning these parks- is to zone them permanent manufactured housing. Because in Oregon all manufactured home parks are either temporary or interim zoning. That’s the zoning we have.
"The second thing need to do is establish a pool – maybe keep it at to $100 million.”
Berney said residents of The Patrician were anxious for two years, before things resolved. They are now jubilant and relieved, and have renamed the park the “Filbert Grove Cooperative.”
Copyright 2021, KLCC.
