The 42 families at a closing mobile home park in Puyallup have moved. Here’s what’s next
A Puyallup mobile home park that housed 42 families now sits empty.
The few remaining families moved out of Meridian Mobile Estates on Jan. 31, city spokesperson Eric Johnson wrote in an email. One family was finishing moving their belongings the following day. Demolition is expected sometime this spring.
The mobile home park at 202 27th Ave. SE had 15 families who hadn’t yet moved in early December, and they had until Jan. 31 to relocate.
Timberlane Partners bought the property the mobile home park sits on for $6.5 million in 2021. The developer plans to build 230 apartments there.
“At this point, it is still very early in the process, so we do not have a timeline on construction,” Johnson said in the email.
The developer had a relocation specialist and a team help the remaining families during the move-out process all day Jan. 31, Johnson said. The city’s housing case manager also made herself available to the families. All families had a housing plan, he said.
Resident Maria Gonzalez said Jan. 31 that her family was moving items on their own.
Former resident Martin Martinez said his family moved out of Meridian Estates in November. They found a home to rent and still live in town. The rent they pay is about three times more than their $800 rent at the mobile home park, he said.
Martinez said his family was unable to sell or relocate their home, because getting permits was a problem. They lost the equity they had in their home, he said.
Former resident Saraim Nieto said she no longer lives in town. Her family is renting an apartment elsewhere. Nieto and her family had wanted to live at Meridian Estates for a while to save money for her son’s college education.
“They took away our house that we paid for and now we don’t have anything,” Nieto said.
Gonzalez said her family was one of the few left at the mobile home park still moving their belongings in late January. Gonzalez and her husband said they spent thousands of dollars on their mobile home, adding ADA-accessible ramps and other features for their son.
Details on a settlement some residents and the developer reportedly reached remain unclear.
Asked to confirm if there was a settlement reached and if both parties signed a non-disclosure agreement, an attorney who used to represent the residents said only: “I believe the dispute is now resolved to both parties’ satisfaction.”
A spokesperson for the developer was not immediately available for comment.
Johnson said out of the 42 mobile homes at Meridian Estates, nine homes were sold and two homes were relocated to another mobile home park. Others will be demolished.
This story was originally published February 6, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
