I read the article about skyrocketing rents at the Woodland Park East mobile home park with disgust (The Columbian, Jan. 15). The owner, Michael Werner’s company, is preying on vulnerable people, not just there, but in the many other parks he owns. Charging $1,000 or more for a small piece of ground with a few improvements is indefensible.
The new law that was designed to give residents a chance to buy their parks, while well intended, doesn’t go nearly far enough. Unfortunately, the property has to be listed for sale first, and the owner can ask any inflated price, leaving the residents with few options. These residents own their homes but don’t have the option to move them, unlike apartment residents, who can look for other rental options.
Because this problem is so serious statewide, and the current solution is so inadequate, a change in the law is called for. Residents should have the right to buy these parks whether on the market or not, and they should have to pay no more than the tax-assessed value, plus a reasonable profit of, say, 10 percent to 20 percent. Because this also serves affordable housing goals, the state should provide financing to the residents for the buyout.
