Riverdale mobile home park redevelopment plans morphing, expanding | News, Sports, Jobs

RIVERDALE — The area to be redeveloped into housing around Lesley’s Mobile Home park in Riverdale is morphing and expanding.

The Riverdale Planning Commission last week recommended to the Riverdale City Council that city officials rezone two parcels along 700 West just west of Lesley’s to an R-4 designation. The City Council last July rezoned the 4.62-acre parcel where Lesley’s sits to R-4, a designation that allows for apartments and townhomes and paves the way for the removal of the mobile home residents.

However, how the two new parcels may fit into the plans with the Lesley’s property — focus of consternation among park residents because they’ll have to leave — is still coming into focus. Forza Development of Salt Lake City is seeking the rezone of the two properties, one measuring 0.71 acres on the southeast corner of 4400 South and 700 West, the other one just south of that measuring 0.87 acres.

Chris Hatch, a Forza developer, told planning officials at the Oct. 11 meeting that Forza “has put together a partnership” with the Lesley’s owner, H&H 39th Street. Furthermore, in each of its applications for the two rezones, Forza, using identical language, says a new apartment complex is to be built on the Lesley’s land.

“The property is adjacent to the mobile home park, which in our development plan will be removed for a new apartment complex to take its place,” read Forza’s rezone applications. “This plot is included in our plans and will allow us to redevelop the surrounding area into a beautiful new housing option.”

Even so, a site plan detailing the development proposal has not been filed with Riverdale officials. At the same time, Forza and H&H reps didn’t respond to inquiries seeking comment.

The future of the Lesley’s property has been focus of intense debate since the spring of 2021.

City officials note that redevelopment plans at the Lesley’s site fit within the city’s general plan, the document guiding development. Moreover, the mobile home park has been something of a concern for city officials stemming from code enforcement issues at the location over the years.

Whatever the case, some still at Lesley’s, which contains space for 55 mobile home units, are jittery about their futures. After last July’s rezone of the Lesley’s land, a legal rep for the landowner formally informed those living on the property that they’d have to leave by May 31, 2023, to accommodate redevelopment. Then late last month, Lesley’s legal rep, Mountain States Eviction Law Firm of Layton, filed eviction notices against 12 residents, 11 for nonpayment of rent and one for squatting.

One of the two new properties in line to be rezoned is owned by Garff Properties Riverdale, which also owns a 0.63-acre parcel east of Lesley’s. Hatch said as part of the development plans, Forza would swap land on the east side of the Lesley’s site with Garff to acquire the Garff land on the west side of the park.

The other parcel that’s focus of the new rezone effort is now occupied by Carey’s Cycle Shop, a Yamaha dealership.

Public hearings preceded the planning commission action recommending the two proposed rezones, but no one spoke out. Mike Eggett, Riverdale’s community development director, said the issue is tentatively set to go before the Riverdale City Council at its Nov. 1 meeting.

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