Trailer park residents stunned by potential eviction

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/11/2022 (911 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Peter and June Voth love their home at Parkside Village in Altona. It’s cozy and affordable, and their neighbours have become their closest friends since they moved here eight years ago. The walls are covered with family photos, to remind them of all the memories they’ve made here.

“We saw what a great community this is, and saw this as our retirement home,” June says.

But thanks to a Steinbach developer, now they’re not sure how much longer they’ll be allowed to stay.

Last spring, the Voths were told that the mobile home park had been sold to a developer, Steinbach based 1820 Properties, and all the homes would have to be moved to make way for new apartment buildings.

“We had no idea,” June says. “One day the landlord told us that she sold the park. But she said none of us had anything to worry about. That nothing would happen to our homes.”

The park includes 30 mobile homes, seven of which are rental properties. Residents come from all walks of life, including young families, new immigrants and seniors who were drawn to the property because of its affordability, but also because of its proximity to schools, the community park, and the arena.

June says at first, they thought they could breathe easy and trust the new owner, until they were invited to a meeting with him and his colleagues on Sept. 15, where they were told that they would have to move their homes to make way for the development of apartment buildings.

Jake Unrau owns one of the rental properties at the park, and says it felt like they’d been “punched in the gut” when the developers revealed their plans.

“They proudly showed us all their designs, meanwhile, we’re all sitting there thinking what about our house. What we all have in common is the secrecy of all this. The original owner never said anything to us about this. And when the new owner went door to door introducing himself, he told us all our homes were safe.”

“We feel betrayed,” says Ray Dueck. He and his wife Barb purchased one of the homes last spring for their grandchildren. “We threw a lot of money into that place to fix it up. Most of our retirement money, because we thought it was an investment. But now we’re just supposed to accept that we did it for nothing? I asked the new owner who is responsible for moving these homes, and he said, “You are.” And that was that.”

John and Anna Sawatzky have a similar story. They invested $47,000 into their home. “We fixed it up and took pride in it. When he said we have to move it, I told him he owes me $47,000. He never let us know he was planning this. Neither did the previous owner. When she told us the park was sold, she said, “Thank God the trailers are gonna stay!” The next thing we hear is we have to leave.”

Loretta Neustaeter and her husband Curt moved into their home in Parkside Village 19 years ago. “We raised our kids here. Before Curt passed away, we worked hard to get it paid off so I wouldn’t have to carry a mortgage alone. Now to tell me I have to move it and just go away? My trailer has been here for 50 years, it’s one of the originals. It doesn’t even have wheels anymore; it’s sitting on blocks. It’s not movable. Where am I supposed to go? This is Curt’s home and I’m not leaving it.”

Alex Kube, one of the owners of 1820 Properties says they’re currently in the process of rezoning the property from a Residential Mobile Home designation to a Residential Medium Density designation, with plans to build a couple of apartment buildings, with an estimated 150 units, which will include three-storey and two-storey apartments along with some smaller townhouses and garages.

Recalling the Sept. 15 presentation, Kube says some of the residents were a bit upset because that would mean they would be given a timeline to move their trailer.

“Most of the trailers out there are well past their life span. That trailer park, whether it gets rezoned to multi-family or stays a trailer part, needs some major upgrades, including water and sewer.”

He says if the variance for the project is approved by Altona town council, the timeline for the development depends on demand. “We could do one phase without moving anybody off, without moving any trailers. Phase two would include moving maybe four or five trailers, Phrase three or four another five or seven. It’s going to be a few years for sure. “

Any potential assistance to the residents who will have to move has not been discussed.

Kube says they had approached the Municipality of Rhineland about a trailer park on another site on the outskirts of town but were denied. “They said they did not want another trailer park. We tried our best to find a home for people that have a home there and are looking to stay in the trailer park, we wanted to give them an option., but that was turned down by the RM. We feel for people that own trailers there.”

He said some people weren’t advised properly that it was a land-lease. “Most trailers are portable. They can be moved. It shows the risk of when they’re buying a home essentially where you don’t buy the land.”

Whether the town approves the re-zoning of the trailer park or not, he says most of the trailers will have to be moved anyway because of needed infrastructure upgrades. “The sewer is 50 years old on that piece, the streets are crumbling they need new pavement, the water lines and water supply need to be upgraded. If it doesn’t get approved for multi-family than most of the trailers will need to be moved off so we can upgrade the infrastructure and move in new trailers.”

A public hearing for the re-zoning of the property will be held Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at Rhineland Pioneer Centre. The meeting will include a presentation by 1820 Properties.

Altona Mayor Harv Schroeder says it’s not going to be an easy decision, as it affects many people. “We’re hoping to have someone from planning there as well. I think it’s important to have an objective party there, who can explain everything to everyone. A decision does have to be made, but not right away. Council will give this a lot of thought. I think it’s important that everyone goes home and takes some time to consider this.”

Many of the residents of Parkside Village plan to attend the hearing and share their side of the story.

Unrau says, “We have to realize we’re the little guy here. We’re probably far too small to stop this, but when it’s all said and done, whatever we have here, no matter what kind of trailer it is, it’s part of our lives. For some it’s a short time, for others it’s longer, but it’s our home. How do you chase us out of here? How can you do that?”

June definitely plans to attend. “These are not just trailers. These are our homes. They need to know that.”

– with files from Greg Vandermeulen