Monrovia : Zone Designation to Remain

Park Santa Anita’s owners cannot be compelled by the city to keep the mobile home park open against the owners’ will, according to a memorandum from the city attorney.

The 63-space, 5-acre lot on 5th Avenue is being sold to developers. Tenants had asked the City Council on June 21 to explore maintaining the property as a mobile home park.

The July 12 memorandum from City Atty. Richard Morillo to City Manager James Starbird concluded that trying to maintain the property’s current use, by rezoning it as residential or exclusively for a mobile home park, might expose the city to charges of discriminatory zoning.

“It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to rebut the claim that the sole motivation for the zone change was to stop the owners’ plan to close the park and develop the property,” Morillo wrote.

He added that the property, now zoned for planned development, is designated in the General Plan as one in transition for commercial and industrial uses.