Park’s Residents to Meet on Rents

The senior citizen residents of Meadows Mobile Home Park will hold a town hall meeting today to discuss failed attempts to negotiate rents with their landlord.

The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. in the park’s clubhouse, 14871 Jeffrey Road.

“Our problem is we have discrepancies in our rent ranging from $495 to $713,” said B.J. Lusk, president of the park’s homeowners association. “We have neighbors living side-by-side with around a $200 variance for the same size land.”

The homeowners association and its legal counsel, former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, have been negotiating with CWS Management Co. of Newport Beach since July to equalize rents, rolling back the amounts paid by some and raising others that have not kept pace with increases in the cost of living. About 500 residents live in the park’s 360 coaches. The average age of the tenants is 73.

“Management has tried to make some concessions but it’s like throwing us a bone,” Lusk said. “We want new leases that will guarantee equity and parity for our older residents and will not let new people in for $100 to $200 less.”

Agran said management company officials pulled out of the negotiations two weeks ago.

Steven Sherwood, president of CWS Management Co., was not available for comment Monday.

Lusk said the seniors with the longest time in the park are paying the highest rents. She contends new residents pay up to $200 less per month than longtime residents because “no one wants to pay $700 to move into a 25-year-old mobile home park.” Longtime residents pay more because they have had 3.5% to 7% annual rent increases, she said.

The purpose of today’s meeting is to let the landlord know the residents are united on this issue, Agran said. “I can see the shape of settlement if we can just get management to come back to the table,” he said.