1998 MAY - Laserfiche WebLink

6.60.010 the establishment of a rent stabilization ordinance be considered. As a result of that suggestion, the parties negotiated the January 19, 1988 agreement, which has stabilized rents in the mobilehome parks within Pleasanton. C. Due to the lack of a significant vacancy factor and the high cost of moving mobilehomes owned by the homeowners in the parks, the home- owners do not have an alternative of relocating to other parks in which rents may be more reasonable. Mobilehome owners, unlike apartment tenants or residents of other rental stock, are in the unique position of having made a substantial investment in a residence for which space is rented or leased. Removal and/or relocation of a mobilehome from a park space is not a practical alternative to accepting an excessive rent increase in that it can only be accomplished at substantial cost, and in many instances may cause extensive damage to the mobilehome and loss of appurtenances such as inte- grated landscaping and supporting structures inconsistent with the new location. Two (2) of the parks are se- nior parks and most of the homeowners are senior citizens, many of whom are living on fixed incomes. Because mobilehomes are often owned by senior citizens, persons on fixed incomes, and persons of low and moderate income, exorbitant rent increases fall upon these individuals with particular harshness. D. During 1991 the park owners and mobilehome owners expressed to the City that they were interested in negoti- ating anew agreement and after several months of negotiations, a new rent stabilization agreement ("the March 17, 1992 agreement") was developed and approved by the park owners and the City. However, one of the park owners would not sign the new agreement. Without benefit of an agreement to stabilize mobilehome rents, a park owner could impose whatever rent he or she chose, to the detriment of the mobilehome owners. In fact, the one park owner who would not sign the March 17, 1992 agreement had raised rents on mobilehome spaces within his park during 1992 at a rate higher than what is permissible under either the January 19, 1988 agreement or the March 17, 1992 agreement. E. In 1992 the City sponsored and facilitated extensive negotiations to eliminate the need for the ordinance codified in this Chapter. It was assisted by the Pleasanton Mobilehome Com- mittee consisting of park owner repre- sentatives and mobilehome tenant rep- resentatives. The negotiations involved representatives of the one park owner who would not sign the March 17, 1992 agreement and homeowners who live at that park and their representatives. F. Despite the efforts of the City and the Pleasanton Mobilehome Committee, the one park owner refused to enter into the March 17, 1992 agreement and ac- cordingly, the City adopted an ordi- nance, later modified, and codified in this Chapter, to stabilize mobilehome rents in parks owned by owners who chose not to enter into the March 17, 1992 agreement. G. This Chapter establishes 1992 as (Pleasanton 5-98) 192-38