Read the Housing Authority’s letter here.
The Santa Clara County Housing Authority has put the $57 million redevelopment the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto on hold, saying the plan that’s emerging isn’t “viable.”
A three-way partnership of the Housing Authority, Santa Clara County and the city of Palo Alto purchased the park in 2017 for $40 million after a campaign to save the affordable housing. The previous owner had intended to sell the property to a developer who would have evicted the residents and put up a high-end housing development.
Since buying the property, the public agencies have struggled to come up with a plan to turn the trailer park into a housing development. Residents have complained that they felt the prices the authority would pay are undervalued, and they won’t get replacement homes that are large enough for their families.
Yesterday (Oct. 11), the Housing Authority said it was putting the redevelopment “on pause.”
“The main drivers include an uncertain regulatory environment, rising costs associated with the inability to meet resident expectations around larger homes and larger purchase offers for their current mobile homes, and funding implications due to schedule delays,” Housing Authority Executive Director Preston Prince said in a letter distributed today (Oct. 12).
He added, “We will be working over the next several months to determine the best and most feasible path to continue improvements at the Park and will communicate and engage with residents in early 2025.”
Plans call for splitting the 4.5-acre park at 3980 El Camino Real into two properties. The half closer to El Camino is slated for 44 new mobile homes, replacing 79 RVs, trailers and coaches. The further half will get a four-story, 61-unit apartment complex that council approved in August.
The Housing Authority’s decision comes two months after a Palo Alto City Council hearing where young, elderly and disabled residents made an emotional plea for a better plan.
About a dozen Buena Vista families had a dispute with the Housing Authority at the time of that hearing in August, and another dozen haven’t decided their housing future for various reasons, according to Flaherty Ward, director of real estate for the Housing Authority.
Eight families have confirmed they won’t return to Buena Vista, and 42 families are planning to come back after the rebuild, Ward said in August.
Council heard at that August meeting from several residents who weren’t happy.
The Housing Authority was appraising trailers to determine how much to pay residents who would lose their homes. But Rene Escalante said the appraisal of his unit was “a joke,” “insulting” and “seems manipulated.”
Nicolas Miramontes said he wants a four-bedroom home for his family of nine, but the Housing Authority is only offering three bedrooms.
Kids held signs saying “Keep families together” and “We deserve better.”
Resident Jose Ramirez said he’s trying to get the Housing Authority to include his new wife and her kids, all while he’s battling cancer.
“I’ve never been treated this way. I’m begging for help to keep my family together and save my home,” Ramirez said.
Ward, the Housing Authority real estate director, said at the August meeting the authority would pay for residents to get another appraisal, and she would talk to her team of attorneys about delaying the Sept. 15 deadline for residents to make a decision.
Prince, the authority’s executive director, said his agency didn’t want to “force a project to be completed when we are not meeting the majority of the residents’ expectations, and we certainly do not want residents to feel like they are being forced to move out of their homes.”
I’m taking my toys and I’m going home.
This is just a squeeze play to force the residents with objections to knuckle under and accept whatever the Housing Authority is offering. It’s extortion. I hope the City or Joe Simitian calls them out.