On Friday, February 20, the owner of Bayside Gardens in Clearwater, Florida, confirmed what residents suspected: The waterfront park with its stunning views of Old Tampa Bay is too valuable for a bunch of older manufactured homes.

“We’re going to put condos there,” said Maurice Wilder of Clearwater-based Wilder Corp. “We’re moving the people out.”  Wilder said his company plans mid-rise buildings with as many as 300 condos in the $300,000 range — almost 1,000 times what the present manufactured homes rent for.

The Bradenton Herald tells MHProNews that no timetable has been set for construction, which cannot begin until Wilder gets the zoning changed or waits for adoption of a new county land use plan that would permit higher residential densities there. Either way, it’s just a matter of time before new condos or apartments begin to appear on the property

“We’ve got multifamily housing all over the place, so it would stand to reason that would be an acceptable use,” Clearwater’s Planning and Development Director Michael Delk said of Wilder’s proposal. “That property could be beautiful, and there’s no question that’s an extraordinary opportunity for something.”

At a time when waterfront condos are in demand, residents of Bayside Gardens knew that their 60-lot community might disappear. But they are angry they are getting so little notice, especially when they have so little money.

Well into her senior years, JoAnn Charles lived for a spell in her red Hyundai, then slept under canvas in Pinellas Hope’s tent city. But about 18 months ago, Charles saw an ad for a place she could afford on her meager Social Security — a tiny, rusted ’50s-era manufactured home in the Bayside Gardens Mobile Home Park.

This month, the 74-year-old Charles and dozens of other residents, most of them seniors, received certified letters saying the community is closing due to a “change in land use.” Those with long-term leases like Charles must be gone by August 31. Those renting month-to-month have until March 31 to get out. ##

(Photo Credit: TampaBay.com)

 

Article submitted by Sandra Lane to – Daily Business News – MHProNews.