Summerside council seeking more time for residents of closing mobile home park

Summerside city council will submit a formal request to the owner of a mobile home park that plans to close to extend the deadline for residents to vacate the property.

The city wants the residents to have another six months, giving them until next May.

Coun. Brian McFeely brought forward the resolution, which was passed at a council meeting on Monday evening. 

The Summerside mobile home park is home to 21 tenants, who received letters from the park's owner, Heritage Park Mobile Home Sites, stating it plans to close it down.

The owner gave tenants, mostly mobile home owners, the six months' notice required by law to vacate the property. 

McFeely said the six months residents were given is a limited time frame, within which it will be difficult to find alternative housing options.

"If we could negotiate an additional six months to bring it up to a year, that would allow home owners to consider their options as well as other options that may be available in the community," McFeely said. 

He said the landowner will not be legally obligated to comply with council's request.

"Council is committed from a moral perspective to try to help these homeowners as much as we can," McFeely said.

"We hope that the property owner would, from a humanitarian perspective, see the positive reasons for doing this." 

Proposed amendment defeated

Coun. Brent Gallant felt there was more the city should do to intervene. 

Gallant put forward an amendment to the resolution, requesting the City of Summerside have the mobile home park property appraised by an independent party and purchase the property from the landowner. The amendment also stated if the landowner is unwilling to sell, the city should expropriate the property and pay the appraised market value.

But council voted no to the amendment. Many councillors said they may be willing to support the idea if council was given more time to explore all its options.  

"I think that council certainly is receptive to the suggestion I've made," Gallant said.

"I respect that they need more information to do that." 

Gallant said he intends to bring the motion forward again.

Council to have property appraised 

While Gallant's motion to have the city purchase the property was defeated, council members did agree through a unanimous vote to have a third party do an independent appraisal of the mobile home park property.

McFeely said there are a number of options council will have to consider moving forward, including looking at Gallant's proposal in more detail.

"Council gave a very clear message here tonight that we want to be aggressive in finding a solution here," McFeely said.

"I think having the appraisal done helps us begin to understand what the exposure is from a financial perspective … that will allow us to move forward, hopefully in a positive way."

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