St. Anthony residents air concerns over redevelopment of mobile home park

Many frustrated St. Anthony residents gathered Tuesday night to hear developers discuss a plan to transform the mobile home park they bought in 2016.

A case about the legality of the purchase is making its way through the appellate court.

Most of the 100 or so people who attended the meeting at St. Anthony High School are not residents of Lowry Grove, but were there to support homeowners who will have to vacate the property by June 30.

It's the only mobile home park in St. Anthony, and many residents feared losing the good schools the city offers.

Last year, the Wayzata developer Continental Property Group purchased the property for $6 million.

"Do you see the community here?" said Antonia Alvarez, a Lowry Grove resident, pointing to the crowd. "They don't want this. [The developers] are greedy people and just want to take our money."

Traci Tomas, vice president of the Village, the new land owners, said the developers are going ahead with plans for a park and new housing despite a lawsuit against them.

"The families at Lowry Grove have no other options in St. Anthony," said Kate Martin, a member of St. Anthony Villagers for Community Action. "They are being brushed aside."

Continental Property Group hoped to have small-group discussions and get input from residents after their presentation about the property's future. Instead, residents argued for an open dialogue with the entire room. After several questions, those in the room broke up and were able to ask developers about traffic and environmental impacts.

Along with concerns over the displacement of residents, others are worried that traffic would get worse and that new development would change the makeup of the city.

Developers have acknowledged concerns about the property's fate. In September, Tomas said in a statement: "From the beginning, we've realized that this is a difficult situation for the residents. That has never been something we've taken lightly."

Of the 97 homeowners who lived at Lowry Grove before it was sold, about half already have moved, Alvarez said. She plans to stay until the end of June. But on July 1, Alvarez doesn't know where she'll live.