Residents of a mobile home park off Prosperity Church Road in northeast Charlotte could soon have to move, as a developer plans to buy the land and build apartments and stores. However, residents say the relocation assistance they’re being offered isn’t enough.
Forest Park Mobile Homes residents say they are being provided $5,500 to relocate. Developer Wood Partners plans to build nearly 400 apartments and 25,000 square feet of commercial space.
The park now has about 60 homes, many owned by working-class immigrant families. Residents own their homes, not the land, but many have made additions, investing tens of thousands of dollars, that make the homes impossible to move.
"What they're offering is very little," a Forest Park Mobile Homes resident said. "It doesn't cover practically anything we want to do, so we want a real solution."
Charlotte City Council heard from residents at a June rezoning meeting, and both groups agreed relocation assistance should be provided if the rezoning is approved, but didn't discuss a specific amount.
Action NC’s Jessica Moreno has worked with residents since May to stop the potential displacement.
"When will our city stop displacing people of color in the name of progress?" Moreno asked. "When will our city do its part to protect naturally occurring affordable housing? What does our city want to be known for? Displacement?"
Valleo Residential, which owns mobile home parks across the Carolinas, is offering an additional $10,000 if residents move to one of its communities, but the nearest one with vacancy is in South Carolina.
Moreno says Forest Park reflects a larger trend, in which older, naturally occurring affordable housing options are being lost due to redevelopment. Other mobile home parks in the area, such as Oak Haven Mobile Home Park in Matthews and Countrywoods Mobile Home Park in north Charlotte, have also shut down or increased rent prices.
WFAE reached out to Wood Partners and its legal representative, but did not receive a response by late Monday.
The rezoning petition is expected to be voted on by Charlotte City Council in November. If the development is approved, residents say they will have to leave by next May.
