Midfield residents hopeful and worried about new park proposal

Residents of the city-ownedMidfield Mobile Home Park, slated to close in 2017,are hoping a new development on the east side of Calgary will be approved, and will allow them move there with their existing trailers.

Lansdowne Equity Ventures wants to build an affordable mobile housing complex near 84th Street and 8th Avenue northeast, but thecompany says it won't guarantee oldtrailers will be allowed onto its otherwisemodern site. Itwould preferto sell new trailers to residents.

• City to close Midfield Mobile Home Park in 2017

"It's a business we are trying to run so I'm sure we will have to see which oneworks the best financially," said executive vice-president Don Sandford.

Midfield resident Cindy MacDonald says that's not an option for many of the roughly 170 residentsin the park.

"There's seniors in here. There is no way they can get another mortgage, we've got low-income, disabled, seniors, she said. "There are people in here that have mortgages on their homes, there's no way they could get another mortgage," she said.

Third option

Sandford says a third option might be forthose in Midfieldto move their trailers to one of his other parks in Calgary,Okotoks orHigh River.

He says, however,that would mean kicking out people who are renting there in favour of these homeowners.

Lansdowne Equity has gone through the pre-application process, but an official proposal has yet to be submitted to the city.