Residents of closing mobile home park protest, speak at Puyallup City Council meeting

Armando Aragon and others stood Tuesday evening near the intersection of Elm Place and South Meridian in downtown Puyallup. They were holding up cardboard posters across from City Hall.

Aragon’s sign read: “Igualdad de vivienda ahora!!!” (Fair housing now). Another person’s sign read: “Save Meridian Estates.”

About 50 people gathered at Pioneer Park around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Housing activists and Meridian Mobile Estates residents rallied to raise awareness about what’s happening at the mobile home park at 202 27th Ave. SE. Then many spoke at the Puyallup City Council meeting.

Meridian Estates residents must leave the mobile home park by October. Timberlane Partners purchased the property last year and plans to build apartments there, The News Tribune reported. Many residents own their mobile homes, but not the land those homes sit on. The mobile home park started with 42 families — as of Aug. 1, 31 families still living there.

“This is really unfair for everyone,” resident Saraim Nieto said Tuesday evening.

Home in Tacoma for All, a coalition advocating for affordable and sustainable housing, is the group that planned the rally. Over 430 people have signed the group’s online petition, which asks that the development be stopped or that the residents receive the full value of their homes.

“Our demand is that tenants receive the full value of homes in the park, but at the very least, we want the city and developers to provide more relief,” volunteer Ann Dorn wrote in an email Aug. 15.

Developer plans Puyallup apartment complex. 42 families forced to move to make room

The city, state and developer have each offered financial assistance to residents. Some of them say it isn’t enough, given what they paid for their homes and what they’ve invested to renovate them. Some families are moving their homes, but finding spaces in the city has been challenging and in many cases the age of the home or renovations make it impossible.

When asked what will happen if residents do not move by October, a city spokesperson said recently that demolishment and evictions will begin, and that it will be the property owner’s call on how they will proceed with that.

“I feel it’s unfair to close the park because we have children, elderly, disabled and retired people,” Nieto said during an April 5 City Council meeting. “We have been dealing with so much … emotional distress thinking about where we are going to live after we are kicked out.”

Meridian Estates residents and those supporting them at the rally took turns addressing the City Council across the street from the protest during the public comment period of the 6:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday.

Some at the rally planned to speak during the public comment period of the Puyallup City Council meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday across the street.

Resident Martin Martinez and his family stood in front of the podium with a sign that read: “Save Meridian Mobile Estates!!!” He said the money the city and developer offered, $10,000 altogether, is not enough to find a home.

“These aren’t my neighbors. These are my family,” Martinez said.

Resident Elicia Von Feldt said she and her family put their “whole hearts and souls” into their mobile home. She said she expects to see laws in the future that would help protect residents in similar situations.

“The city has given us a $5,000 grant, which I’m grateful for, but it is not enough. We cannot use that to get into any kind of housing in this county,” Von Feldt said.

Resident Douglas Hudson said he purchased materials from the nearby Home Depot and Lowe’s to fix his home with Von Feldt, renovating it himself. He said he’s been investing in the Puyallup community, spending his money at businesses in the city, for about five and a half years.

“You don’t have the authority to put us on the street. You work for me. I’m telling you to do something about it. Help us out. Pay attention,” Hudson said.

Aragon, another resident, spoke through interpreters.

Aragon said council members knew that the residents “were screwed” from the beginning, and that they should know what to do.

“Please think about that. That’s what he wanted you guys to know,” an attendee who helped interpret said.

Council member John Palmer said at the meeting that it “kills” him that the residents will lose the equity in their homes. He said he thinks the developer should look into this situation again to see what else they could do to help residents.

Mayor Dean Johnson said he will be contemplating if there’s anything more the city can and should do.

Council member Jim Kastama said the city already did things other cities have not — they hired two bilingual case managers and created the $5,000 grant program for residents. They also held a resource fair for residents at the mobile home park.

“I can’t remember a city ever doing that,” Kastama said.