The Mobile Home Park on San Gabriel

I had to search for the article, and found this:

Sep 18, 2007

Gone, but not forgotten by the city

by Jennifer McLain

ROSEMEAD - Concrete slabs, abandoned buildings and trash are all that remain on a vacant trailer park that was leveled in recent weeks.

But city officials said that the demolition was pursued without the proper permits.

City Manager Oliver Chi said the city's code enforcement stopped demolition earlier this month of a trailer park at the northwest corner of Garvey and San Gabriel boulevards.

"They were taking out some old mobile units and they hadn't gotten permits," Chi said.

Now, the park, at 3053 San Gabriel Blvd., remains uninhabitable after its trailers were demolished and removed.

Only concrete slabs, three abandoned buildings, soccer balls, ice chests and other garbage remain on the property.

Property manager Arnold Sei would not comment on the project.

Brian Saeki, community redevelopment director, said that a permit is required for any demolition, and that the city has not issued a permit for the property.

It has also not received any site plans for construction, he said.

Nearby residents at the Trade Winds Mobile Estates said that demolition at 3053 San Gabriel Blvd. has been ongoing the past few weeks. A sign hangs on the site, boasting 50,000 to 200,000 square- feet of property is available for lease.

There are nearly a dozen mobile home and trailer parks in the city.

Relocating mobile home and trailer park residents to affordable housing is a lengthy and expensive process that is regulated by the state.

As developers continue to show interest in the properties, some park residents wonder if it will be just a matter of time before they too are forced from their homes.

Theresa Molina watered her plants Monday recalling the different offers developers have made on the trailer park site where she's been manager for 17 years.

With each offer, including an $8 million purchase price, the owner of the Paradise Trailer Park at 8069 Garvey Blvd. has said no.

"The owner was very, very angry," Molina said. "He has said he won't sell."

Nearly 75 families live in the park.

"I hope they won't sell," said Christian Trejo, 21, who has lived at Paradise Trailer Park all his life. "Our budget is not that much, and I don't know where we'd go."

Not all mobile home residents are fearful of their future. Ritha Mendez, a resident of Trade Winds Mobile Estates, has lived there for 21 years.

"I'm not going anywhere," Mendez said.

As more concerns surface over the changes at these mobile home parks, Chi said the City Council will discuss a mobile home relocation process at its meeting in October.

"In general, the relocation of mobile homes is governed by the State," Chi said. "There is less influence we, as a city, have on the matter."

Chi said the council is considering changing that, and developing an ordinance that would require any use changes to the mobile home and trailer parks to go before the council first.

"A lot of what we're proposing to do, is to have developers come before the City Council so that we could have oversight of those facilities," Chi said.

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The article is fast vanishing from the internet!

Anyway, the issue is that the owners demolished the property without a permit, and now it is a vacant lot, and has been for three years.

The demolition happened just before the big crash, and I think the owners were trying to cash in on the housing boom.

Here's an old thread on SOC about it.