John Montagna is able to transfer into a brand new RV park within the Inexperienced Meadows West part of Harbor Metropolis, close to his job as a longshoreman.
However he’s nonetheless making a two-hour commute from Bakersfield, after opposition from neighbors helped stall the opening of the park.
“Save Inexperienced Meadows West” indicators have popped up on many lawns as residents categorical fears about crime and declining property values, whereas folks like Montagna say the park, known as Ocean’s 11, presents an reasonably priced possibility amid the realm’s sky-high rents.
“There’s those who stay good in RVs,” mentioned Montagna, who plans to pay $1,250 a month to stay on the park in his 2021 Tiffin Allegro Bus. “Anyone who strikes into any neighborhood is usually a security situation. You possibly can’t be stereotyping simply ‘trigger it’s an RV park.”
Inexperienced Meadows West resident Nicole Paulsen on her entrance garden in Harbor Metropolis.
(Christina Home / Los Angeles Instances)
Nicole Paulsen, who lives on President Avenue a couple of block from the proposed RV park, worries a couple of “Breaking Unhealthy” state of affairs of medicine and violence, noting points with RVs illegally parked close by on Western Avenue. She mentioned the RV park’s developer has not adequately included neighbors within the planning course of.
“It’s not going to be our neighborhood anymore,” mentioned Paulsen, who grew up in San Pedro and moved to Inexperienced Meadows West in 2019 after having her second baby.
Nonetheless, Paulsen acknowledged that most of the individuals who finally transfer in will most likely be law-abiding. She harassed that a few of her opposition comes out of concern that the RV park’s residents, who she mentioned might be “packed in like sardines,” received’t be secure themselves.
Jerry Lengthy, who has lived throughout from the property for 13 years, mentioned he would favor a residential improvement over an RV park, which he mentioned might be too high-density.
“It doesn’t match the character of the neighborhood,” he mentioned. “This was zoned for single-family.”
For greater than a yr, Ocean’s 11 has been mired in litigation and procedural roadblocks, together with a measure authored by Councilmember Tim McOsker and accepted by the complete Metropolis Council that requires an environmental evaluation of the 9 defunct oil wells on the property.
For now, the RV park sits almost empty, with solely a safety guard dwelling there.
Stewart Silver on the RV park he constructed final yr in Harbor Metropolis.
(Christina Home / Los Angeles Instances)
Stewart Silver, an entrepreneur who began Avon Lease-A-Automotive and owned an Anaheim skilled curler hockey crew, bought the 1.2-acre parcel close to the southern tip of Los Angeles for $1.6 million in 2023. He has opened 4 different RV parks and nonetheless operates two in Santa Clarita and North Hills.
He mentioned he spent greater than half one million {dollars} prepping and constructing the Ocean’s 11 web site. He then started providing the heaps, which have water, energy and sewer hookups in addition to area to park a automobile and create a small yard, to potential tenants.
Silver used a metropolis course of accessible to RV parks, which permits them to be designated as a “public profit venture” in the event that they meet 12 requirements, together with noise laws and graffiti elimination. These tasks should not required to be debated in public hearings.
However then, residents caught wind of the venture. Many have lived within the neighborhood, with its neat lawns and single-family properties, for many years. A 3-bedroom, two-bathroom home on President Avenue was not too long ago marketed for $799,000 on Zillow.
Final June, Paulsen began a GoFundMe, rapidly elevating greater than $30,000 for authorized illustration to combat the RV park.
“We’re uniting to specific our issues in regards to the proposed development of this RV park which is able to hurt the security of our quiet neighborhood, overcrowd our space with site visitors, and negatively have an effect on the privateness and property values of neighboring residents of this RV park,” neighbors wrote on their web site, “Save Inexperienced Meadows West.”
“I adopted all the foundations. We’re going to be good neighbors. These are communities that I construct,” Silver mentioned. “The folks we cater to at this stuff are … on a regular basis folks, salt of the earth folks.”
Silver has promised that the RV park might be staffed with a safety guard 24-7.
Dana Goller, a safety guard who already lives on the property along with his spouse, mentioned the park will make the neighborhood extra secure, not much less secure.
“All people shifting right here is folks identical to them,” he mentioned. “They work. They stay. They pay payments. … What Stewart’s opening here’s a blessing, not a sin. This isn’t a homeless camp.”
L.A. Metropolis Councilman Tim McOsker holds a information convention on July 11.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Instances)
McOsker, who represents the realm, mentioned he heard from locals like Paulsen who have been involved in regards to the RV park.
In his movement requiring the environmental evaluation of the oil wells, McCosker cited alleged points — from lacking kids to assaults with a lethal weapon — at different RV parks Silver has operated.
“The operator has demonstrated a number of public well being and security failures … and the potential for one of these nuisance exercise to happen in Harbor Metropolis and impression public security ought to be considered,” McOsker wrote within the movement.
Silver mentioned that he offered an RV park in Wilmington almost 5 years in the past and that there was “no crime” when he ran it.
In an interview, McOsker mentioned he was horrified by the circumstances on the Wilmington web site, together with slender driving lanes, meals on the market open air and washers and dryers related with extension cords. He feared Silver would possibly quickly promote the Ocean’s 11 property, which may enable it to equally deteriorate.
“It seemed like a really harmful encampment,” McOsker mentioned of the Wilmington RV park.
After the Metropolis Council handed McOsker’s movement in June 2024, the Division of Constructing and Security closed the venture’s permits, successfully placing it on maintain.
McOsker and neighbors say that Silver has not constructed his park as much as the 12 requirements required for public profit tasks, although metropolis companies have signed off on the venture a number of occasions.
McOsker mentioned he additionally believes the venture wants a conditional use allow, which might require public hearings and a extra formalized course of.
“This isn’t about stopping something. That is about requiring a secure and inhabitable property,” he mentioned. “It’s about making use of our code pretty, the place we’re defending well being and security of the residents on the property.”
An indication on a garden within the Inexperienced Meadows West neighborhood in Harbor Metropolis on Sept. 17.
(Christina Home / Los Angeles Instances)
A conditional use allow may codify necessities for Silver and subsequent house owners, McOsker mentioned, equivalent to spacing the RVs to permit emergency automobiles to simply maneuver.
Silver mentioned McOsker’s measures have been “thinly veiled” political efforts to cease Ocean’s 11 from working in his district.
Some advocates for extra reasonably priced housing agreed with Silver.
“It’s disappointing when Metropolis Council members proceed to disrupt reasonably priced housing, and Councilmember McOsker is definitely making an attempt to make use of process and political strikes to take action with this [conditional use permit] course of,” mentioned Zachary Pitts, the Los Angeles director of YIMBY Motion.
Final July, after McOsker’s movement requiring the environmental evaluate handed, Silver sued the town.
Final month, a choose dominated largely in Silver’s favor, saying the town should situation the permits it has been withholding. McOsker’s argument that the venture wants a conditional use allow “conflicts with the town’s personal long-standing, constant interpretation” that an RV park wants solely to fulfill the 12 requirements to qualify as a public profit venture, Los Angeles Superior Court docket Decide Alison Mackenzie wrote.
The town legal professional’s workplace declined to touch upon the case or whether or not it plans to enchantment.
McOsker is combating again with extra laws. Final month, the council accepted his movement for metropolis workers to draft an interim ordinance that may prohibit the issuing of permits for RV parks constructed as public profit tasks.
The ordinance, when it’s printed, might be in impact for 45 days and may be prolonged for months as the town works to undertake new land use guidelines.
It’s not clear whether or not the ordinance would have an effect on Ocean’s 11. McOsker’s workplace mentioned the RV park’s allowing will “be most certainly resolved by means of judicial and administrative determinations each on the courtroom and on the metropolis.” Silver believes the choose’s ruling entitles him to permits.
“This ruling actually harm me,” mentioned Paulsen, who began to cry.
