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Mobile home residents fight evictions

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice* | February 27, 2008 

KALAMAZOO — About a half-dozen residents of a Stadium Drive mobile home park will contest eviction notices they received from the park’s owner last week.
The residents, who own mobile homes in Franklin Valley Estates, met with private practice attorney Sharon Flores for legal advice on Tuesday night at the Hispanic American Council.

Tenants have a right to object to an eviction and can request a meeting with their landlord to attempt to resolve the situation, said Flores, who does pro-bono work for the council.

Franklin Valley Estates is owned by KWN Properties LLC, which sent eviction notices to the park’s approximately 60 tenants last week. The company, which is owned by Wayside West nightclub owner Kenneth W. Newby, also sent a letter to residents stating that the park was being sold to a real estate developer who planned to close the park.

A conceptual plan for the property on file with the city of Kalamazoo calls for both the 11-acre park and the Wayside West property to be converted into a 292-unit apartment complex and a 40,000-square-foot retail center.

There has been no response to messages left by the Gazette for Newby this week at Wayside West.

Among residents meeting with Flores on Tuesday were Nichole Hart and Oscar Portillo, who share a mobile home in the park. Hart, who purchased the home for $2,500 in 2006, said she and Portillo are staying put as long as they can.

“I think it’s just wrong,” Hart said. “They’re just kicking us out. We’ve been caught up on our rent.”

Flores said the eviction notices that she has seen were not filled out correctly, making it more difficult for residents to exercise their rights. She said notices were not dated or signed and did not provide a correct address for residents to contact KWN Properties to object to the eviction.

The process also has been difficult for some of the park’s Hispanic residents who don’t speak English.

Gerardo Galvan, who spoke to a Kalamazoo Gazette reporter with the assistance of a translator, said he feels cheated by KWN Properties because when he purchased his home four months ago he wasn’t told the park would be closing.

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