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Battle brewing over home park deal

Some left out of a deal with developers want a rezoning set aside.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published April 23, 2006

Cocciardi also spoke of the home fairs the association held to help the 20 or 30 homeowners who did not join in the settlement find new places to live. She was so eloquent, elected officials praised her and her group for their concern for their neighbors.

But many of those who were left out of the settlement now tell a different story. There were no home fairs, they said. There was no indication there was a settlement in the works, others said. And some who tried to join, or rejoin, the association contend they were not allowed to do so.

Now those mobile homeowners are petitioning for the rezoning to be set aside and to receive more than the state-mandated settlement of $1,375 for a single-wide and $2,750 for a double-wide if they are unable to be moved. If they can be moved, the homeowner would get more money to help with the journey, but it's unlikely any of their trailers could survive a move.

In contrast, the 72 members of the homeowners association, which brokered the settlement with developers, will receive about $18,000 apiece once the sale to Triax is final.

"We weren't even offered this," homeowner John Martin said Wednesday.

Martin said he was uninterested in the homeowners association because the leaders were talking of buying the park. Martin did not want to become an owner, so he attended no meetings and never realized that the group's goal had changed from purchase to settlement. Martin said he first learned of the settlement from the media.

Cocciardi denied that people were uninformed. "They were given every opportunity. No one was denied ... no one was excluded," she said. "We notified every single person in this park."

Robert Stanley, another homeowner who did not have a part in the settlement, said most of them waited to protest because "we thought the developer would just approach everyone on it."

Tim Johnson, the attorney for Triax, said he believes all owners had a chance to participate. Some homeowners who were part of the association had to drop out because they could not prove ownership, he said. Others were added.

The last legislative hurdle before the rezoning becomes final is a ruling by the state Department of Community Affairs, a decision expected within the next two or three months.

It is likely that some others may also file objections to the rezoning with the DCA, such as the homeowners immediately to the east of the Golden Lantern, 7950 Park Blvd., who object to having 333 apartments and condominiums on the land.

The other objector is likely to be Charles Plancon, a Golden Lantern homeowner who has filed suit against the county in an attempt to overturn the rezoning.

The suit could delay Triax's project, Johnson said.

The homeowners association planned an emergency meeting Friday to discuss Plancon's suit, Cocciardi said. "Charlie does not realize the impact he has caused," she said. "He has majorly, majorly disrupted everyone's lives."

The delay could stall the sale up to a year, she said, and some people have already made down payments on other living spaces, meaning they may have to make two home payments now to participate in the settlement.

"I have no control over what's going to happen to him once people are told what is going on," she warned.

[Last modified April 23, 2006, 11:23:37]