From:
To: City Council
Subject: rent stabilization in Fircrest Mobilehome Park Date: Tuesday, September 05, 2023 12:43:30 PM
September 5, 2023
Dear Sebastopol Council Members,
Thank you for your steady and skilled hands in grappling with the complex governing of Sebastopol.
Please approve a Rent Stabilization Ordinance
to help sustain affordable housing in our town, in our senior 55+ park, and to comply with the housing element of the General Plan.
My current space rent in Fircrest Mobilehome Park is 46 % of my fixed monthly income.
I must be very creative in making ends meet, growing a lot of my own food and lucky to receive fresh produce from Farm to Pantry gleaners, from Grange swaps and church swaps.
Any hike of over the customary 3% in space rent would put even more of a squeeze on my budget..
The Park ownership has a checkered history as good stewards, not repairing in a timely manner,
nor doing preventative maintenance during the 25 years I have lived in Firccrest, When the road repair was done in approximately year 2005, surprisingly the $122,000 was charged to homeowners, added to our monthly statements.
An example of the "deferred maintenance" is the perimeter fence which for over a decade,
has been shored up here and there, like Whack-a-Mole.
Major water system flaws have surfaced during 2022 and 2023 evidence of lack of maintenance.
The park laundry has been in disrepair for over ten years and sorely needs restoration, with 20+ year old machines, only two of three remaining washers and those two are unreliable, and missing one of the three dryers.
Laundry facilities impact me because my home has never had a washer or dryer.
As climate change takes its toll, there is no air conditioning in the park clubhouse.
Many of our homes are vintage 1970s and 1980s and poorly insulated and as we age we cannot drive to a cooler place to escape.
Thank you for passing a RSO.
Help keep seniors in their homes.
Gratefully,
Marilyn Madrone