SANTA PAULA : Rezoning of Mobile Home Park OKd

The Santa Paula City Council voted unanimously Monday to rezone the Santa Paula West Mobilehome Park, removing one of the last hurdles faced by a group of tenants who want to buy the park.

With the unanimous decision, the council changed the zoning for the 23-acre park to allow conversion to condominium ownership by its 194 tenants.

To complete acquisition of the park from its current owner, James Taylor of Santa Barbara, the tenants must now arrange for private and public financing, said Helen Currier, who heads the tenants’ group.

The tenants have agreed to pay $7.1 million for the property, plus interest that has accrued since the price was set in February, she said.

The key to putting together a successful deal is the ability of the group to tap into state-administered funds to assist the 79 coach owners in the park who qualify as low-income tenants.

The money in the Mobilehome Park Resident Ownership Program derives from annual fees paid by mobile home owners statewide, but the $2 million in available funds is enough to assist only a few parks this year.

“It wouldn’t be impossible to buy the park without the (assistance) funds, but it would be very difficult,” Currier said. The city of Santa Paula has also agreed to petition the state for the assistance dollars.