from Ideastream Public Media: Community leaders discuss decision to close Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park

The following is a conversation from Ideastream Public Media's Sound of Ideas program that aired on February 23, 2023 about the potential displacement of Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park residents.  Click here to read the Legal Aid statement prepared for the February 13 news conference.

Back in 2021, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy bought a 28.5-acre plot of land in Cleveland's North Collinwood neighborhood from a Texas-based developer for $5.8 million, with the hope of turning the property into a public park, that could one day be part of the Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Creek Reservation.

Approximately 140 residents currently live on the property in the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park, most of whom own their homes and pay a fee for their lots. Earlier this month, the conservancy announced at a public meeting with mobile home residents that they were accepting a recommendation to turn the land over to the park system to create a larger and more unified green space.

Residents were informed last week that the mobile home park will cease to operate by September 2024. In the next 90 days, the conservancy said residents will have more details on their compensation packages, which will include the cost of moving, and they will be partnering with housing organizations to help residents find new places to live.

In making this decision, the conservancy partnered with the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, local community development cooperations and a consulting firm. The planning group put together several public meetings and a survey for people to provide input on plans for the park, including holding meetings exclusively for the mobile home park community to attend. Still, many residents say they have felt neglected in the final decision, and misled about the conservancy's intentions with the property, and believe both sides could have come to a compromise. Some nonprofits, such as the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless have come out in support of the residents.

We're going to spend most of the hour bringing different perspectives to the table to have a civil discussion about this very important issue. We'll hear from two people who were involved in the planning process, as well as a resident and a housing advocate who are critical of the plan. Listen to the full conversation on The Sound of Ideas.

Guests:
-Matt Zone, Senior Vice President & Director of Thriving Communities, Western Reserve Land Conservancy
-Josiah Quarles, Director of Organizing and Advocacy, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless
-Anthony Beard, Leader, United Residents of Euclid Beach
-Andrew Sargeant, Director of Open Space and Planning, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress

Source: Ideastream Public Media - Community leaders discuss decision to close Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park