“Vacancy Decontrol” in the amended RSO for the following reasons: 1)It would decrease the value of our homes due to this extra rent increase in addition to the annual rent increases; 2) It would cause our Park to become less and less “affordable” over time; 3) It would create even larger disparities in rents within the Park than already exist, having nothing to do with the size or location of any given space.
I have lived at Fircrest Mobile Home Park since 2014. When I moved here, my space rent was $570 per month. Currently, it is $750 (an increase of $180). According to my calculations, this amounts to a 32% rent increase over the course of my tenancy.
Because of my concern that I could eventually be priced out of this park, I applied for affordable housing at Burbank Heights in 2016 and have been on their waitlist ever since (7 ½ years!). Unfortunately, that waitlist has been closed for years and I’m concerned that some of my neighbors may not have other affordable options as the rents here continue to climb.
I hope you will grant us our request to amend Sebastopol’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance to allow for annual space rent increases of 70% of the Bay Area CPI with a cap of 4% and to retain our current Vacancy Control. In doing so, you will help to maintain Fircrest Mobile Home Park as one of the few affordable housing options in Sebastopol.
Sincerely,
Pam Gentry, Resident
Fircrest Senior Mobile Home Park