The new owner of a manufactured-home park in Langford has started reaching out to residents, giving them some hope after a year-long sale process that left many feeling betrayed.
Tri-Way Mobile Home Park is part of a 40-acre parcel of land, reduced from 50 acres, purchased by Starlight Development in a sale that was finalized Wednesday. Developer Jim Hartshorne of Keycorp Developments initially signed an agreement to buy the property last December and indicated he would reduce the park from 78 homes to 41, leaving residents wondering for nearly a year what would happen to their homes.
Residents of the park own their homes, which range in assessed value from $25,000 to $300,000, and pay a monthly rent for the land.
Rob Jolly and Laurina Norris, who were preparing to sell their manufactured home before they received notice the park was up for sale, are feeling more optimistic they’ll have a fair resolution after hearing from a representative of the new owner Thursday morning. The couple has moved to the Interior but has been stuck paying about $1,300 to $1,500 a month for rent and utilities for the empty home for more than a year.
“[The owner’s representative] said: ‘What do you want to make you whole?’ ” Jolly said. “As a pitch, it doesn’t get better than that.”
Toronto-based Starlight Developments purchased the property on Spencer Road and McCallum Road, which is divided by the Trans-Canada Highway. The park, at 2780 Spencer Rd., is on about 12 acres of the southern portion of the land.
The company held a Zoom call Wednesday to speak to residents after the sale was complete.
Josh Kaufman, head of development and construction for Starlight Developments, said the company wants to engage individually with the more than 100 residents of the park, which caters to those 55 years old and over.
“And then obviously we’ll take all that information as it’s being compiled and come back with a comprehensive plan,” Kaufman said.
Peter Kedge, president of the Tri-Way Park Residents Association, said earlier a comprehensive compensation plan must include a commitment that no one will be put out without somewhere to live, a guarantee that the park won’t be reduced further, and a buyout for anyone who wants to sell, something residents said they were promised in a January meeting with Hartshorne.
Kedge said residents are now hoping for the best and bracing for the worst, after feeling let down by Langford Mayor Stew Young, city staff and Hartshorne.
“We’ve left the door open, and it’s up to them to show us they’re going to do the right thing,” Kedge said.
Young signed a letter saying that the land would not be rezoned until an “overwhelming majority” of park residents had approved a comprehensive compensation plan, but council voted to rezone the land in August.
Kedge said he hopes Starlight Development will meet residents’ needs, including longer leases to give those who remain some certainty about the future of their homes.
“We still want this to be a model of manufactured-home park development. We’d like to end up with a photograph of all of us shaking hands on a successful transition,” he said.
Kaufman said he understands how stressful the last year has been for residents. “All we can say as owners is we hear them, we want to continue to hear them, and we want to be there to make sure that everyone’s comments are heard,” he said.
He said it’s too early to give specifics on plans for the land, but the intention is to building housing catered to a variety of income levels, as well as office and retail space.
Hartshorne, who initially intended to buy the land, is still connected to the project and will assist with the development process, Kaufman said.
