Yet another RV and mobile home park in South Surrey is being eyed for redevelopment.
Residents of the 36-site Parklander Motor and Trailer Court, located at 16311 8 Ave., have been told they have until Oct. 1 of this year to leave.
The notice – issued last July – came nearly a year after residents of the Seacrest Motel and RV Park, at 864 160 St., were given a one-month notice to vacate. RV owners there took the matter to the Residential Tenancy Branch, eventually signing settlement packages with the developer.
Parklander owner Kathy Arnason confirmed Wednesday that notices to vacate her site were issued, but she declined to comment further, including regarding plans for the property.
According to a July 2017 letter to residents from the City of Surrey, an application for official community plan and zoning amendments, as well as a development permit, were received regarding a proposal to build 46 townhouse units on the site.
Surrey general manager of planning and development Jean Lamontagne told Peace Arch News Wednesday that the application is still at the review stage “and has yet to be ready for targeting a date for council’s consideration.”
And that status, said park resident Jim Whittaker, is one of the reasons he won’t be moving come Oct. 1.
Whittaker, 58, pointed to provincial regulations for ending a manufactured-home tenancy for land-use reasons that require “all necessary permits and approvals required by law” to be in place prior to such notices being issued. At that point, the notice must be at least 12 months – unless the tenancy is a fixed-term agreement – and the landlord must pay an amount equivalent to 12 months’ rent.
Whittaker said he confirmed with the Residential Tenancy Branch that specific forms must be used. Parklander tenants, he said, received only a one-line letter last July, followed by a two-paragraph reminder last month; the latter included links to two provincial government websites.
Whittaker also pointed to City of Surrey policy that, among other things, requires any rezoning of “existing manufactured home parks… not be considered until Council is satisfied that a viable relocation plan for affected units is in place.”
The owner “is trying to evict everybody here, without due process,” Whittaker said. “I’ll move, as long as (the owner) does it legally.”
Arnason confirmed she disputes the allegation that the rules weren’t followed.
“Yes, I have (followed process),” she told PAN. “I’ve really got nothing more to say.”
