MHProNews.com has learned from the LosAngelesTimes the owners of the Village Trailer Park in Santa Monica want to develop the 109 home site land lease community (LLC) into a 400,000 square-foot mixed-use retail, residential, and office complex. The four acre community was saved from extinction in 2007, but the owners say expensive infrastructure repairs are needed. As residents have died or moved, Village Trailer Park LLC has not moved in new dwellings to mix with the blend of many vintage factory-built homes, some artfully decorated. Built in the mid-20th Century, the MHC is home to many retired professionals and actors, and was in the 1993 movie, “Shortcuts.” 109 of the 166 planned apartments would be subject to Santa Monica’s rent-control ordinance, and 52 of those would be affordable. Owner Marc Luzzatto says the apartments would be available to some of the current 50 MHC residents. Many residents oppose relocation, although the owners have offered to help pay moving expenses. City Councilman Kevin McKeown objects to displacing vulnerable seniors, and suggests the city buy the property. Meanwhile, the Landmarks Commission is also considering having the community designated an historical landmark, which would forestall redevelopment.
