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districts, such as the subject property. The property was thereafter developed with 208 mobile <br /> home spaces, and the Park is called the Vineyard Villa Mobile Home Park. <br /> The Park, like other mobile home and trailer parks in the City, is operated as a rental mobile <br /> home park, that is, residents own their own "mobile homes" but the land upon which the mobile <br /> homes are located is owned by the park owner. Accordingly, mobile home residents pay <br /> monthly rent to the park owner in addition to paying utilities such as electricity, gas, and cable <br /> TV. Vineyard Villa is also a "senior park," meaning that at least one of the residents in a unit <br /> must be at least 55 years old. <br /> Although called "mobile homes," the units in Vineyard Villa (and the adjoining Hacienda <br /> Mobile Home Park) are not actually mobile. Typically, once the unit is placed within a Park, the <br /> mobile home owner makes a substantial investment in the residence, and removing or relocating <br /> the unit is not practical. In recognition of this fact, mobile home residents throughout the State <br /> who felt that park owners were unreasonably raising their rents lobbied city councils to adopt <br /> rent control ordinances that would put limitations on rent increases. In the late 1980's the <br /> mobile home residents in Pleasanton did the same. <br /> Initially, in lieu of adopting an ordinance, the City was able to negotiate rent stabilization <br /> agreements with most of the park owners. However, because in the early 1990's one park owner <br /> refused to enter into such an agreement, the City was compelled to adopt a rent stabilization <br /> ordinance to protect the residents of that park or any other park where the owner fails to reach <br /> agreement with the City as to rents. The first rent stabilization agreement with Vineyard Villa <br /> Mobile Home Park dates back to 1988. The most recent rent stabilization agreement with the <br /> park owner of Vineyard Villa was signed in 2007. <br /> In June 2007, Gilchrist Rutter, representing the property owner, submitted an application to <br /> convert the park to "residential ownership" and for a vesting tentative map to convert the <br /> 208 mobile home spaces to 208 "condominiums." Even though the spaces would be called <br /> "condominiums," the physical layout of the Park would not change. It would still appear as if it <br /> were a mobile home park. If the application is approved, the park owner would be allowed to <br /> record a condominium plan and then sell the individual lots. Those not wishing to purchase, <br /> however, would not be required to purchase and would simply continue to pay rent. Moreover, <br /> as will be discussed more fully in this staff report, the park owner has agreed not to begin selling <br /> any of the lots for ten years. Action on this application is not required by the City Council <br /> unless the Planning Commission's decision is appealed. The applicant will submit a final map <br /> creating one parcel to the Community Development Department following an approval of this <br /> application. As mentioned, ten years after the final map records, the park owner could file a <br /> condominium plan creating the 208 condominiums; this plan would likewise be approved by the <br /> Community Development Department before it is recorded. <br /> PMCC -2, Vineyard Villa Mobile Home Park Planning Commission <br /> Page2of6 <br />