Hillcourt Estates Mobile Home Park tenants are concerned about a proposal to sell the city-owned trailer park.
Eric Leat has lived at the trailer park off Rosslyn Road since it first opened in 1976. During his time there, two different private owners have run the park before the city took over in 1994. The tenants that occupy the 89 units at Hillcourt pay a lease for the land as well as city taxes.
But over the years, private owners have approached the city with proposals to purchase the land. One private owner tried this in 2004 but council rejected the proposal.
Years later Leat learned from a realty company that the city was looking at another proposal to sell the park.
The news made him worry that if a private owner were to take ownership of the park they could impose higher fees, stop proper maintenance or even try to rezone the park.
“I’ve lived there under two different private owners and under the city too and my concern is that a private owner could take the rest of the money out of the park and neglect maintenance, which has happened at other parks,” Leat said.
“The city can’t guarantee that (a private owner) won’t change the zoning. If we could get a guarantee from the city that the park would stay the way it is and if we can get the city to stop them from letting the park go, then who cares who owns it? But the city doesn’t have the power to do that.”
During the time when the city took ownership, the park suffered from a number of septic and drainage problems. Since then, the park has been maintained and is considered one of the best kept parks in Northern Ontario and financially viable, he said.
The city annually deposits $40,000 to $50,000 into a maintenance fund for future expenses, which doesn’t cover general maintenance of the park. Leat said the city coffers takes in a net profit of $130,000 to $140,000 from rent collected.
He added the park isn’t subsidized.
Residents in the area took a vote at a meeting last week and the majority were opposed to the idea of city council selling the park.
Leat brought these concerns to city council on Monday along with his wife Marian. They said that the tenants are content with the management they current have and don’t want that to change.
Council will be dealing with the matter behind closed doors later this month and in a public session on June 11.
