Residents of the City of Moab-owned Walnut Lane mobile home park have relocated to new housing and the property is now vacant. In the coming weeks, city crews will be removing the empty trailers and cleaning the site.
All residents have relocated and most have found permanent or temporary housing in the Moab community. The city provided relocation assistance funds to the Walnut Lane residents and also purchased the few privately owned trailers at the property.
After signing settlement agreements, the residents received partial payments to help them arrange for new housing. They received the balance of relocation funds once they had vacated their trailers.
The Moab Valley Multicultural Center assisted those residents who needed translation services, and the city worked closely with community partners including the Moab Valley Multicultural Center and Moab Solutions, in helping the Walnut Lane residents find new housing.
The Walnut Lane property is now closed to public access and the Moab City Police Department will increase patrols in the area while city crews continue working to remove the vacant buildings.
The Moab City Council has not discussed any future uses for the site at this time.
“Relocating Walnut Lane residents was not what we wanted to have to do,” said Interim Moab City Manager David Everitt. “Moab’s community organizations really stepped up to do everything possible to assist tenants with finding new places to live and to help with moving. Between their efforts and the financial relocation assistance from the city, residents were able to secure housing within the timeline needed to address the risk and liability issues at Walnut Lane.”
Background
In April, the City of Moab was notified that its insurance provider would no longer insure the property after June 30, 2024. The loss of insurance coverage created unacceptable risks for the Walnut Lane residents and the city, so the city informed the residents that it would discontinue all rental agreements, which by that time were month-to-month arrangements.
The City of Moab held two meetings with the residents to explain the steps forward, and to help put residents in touch with community partners for additional resources. Individual meetings were also held with the residents to explain the relocation assistance funds and timeline.
