South Reno Trailer Park Faces 30-Day Deadline

Residents at Evergreen Trailer Park in south Reno say they were told on March 31 to leave by the end of April, giving them 30 days to move. (mynews4.com) The park sits off South Virginia Street near Tamarack Casino, and tenants told News 4 they had earlier letters in September and November saying the sale would not change their living situation. The land is owned by Valencia Delgado LLC, which also owns neighboring parcels including the Merry Wink motel site. (mynews4.com) Residents told News 4 that many of the homes are older trailers, and some tenants have lived there for years or decades. Louis LePochat said he has lived at Evergreen for 23 years and pays about $500 a month, while other nearby trailer parks can run in the $700 range or higher. (mynews4.com) The deadline lands in a region where local agencies are still expanding affordable housing options rather than meeting all demand. The Reno Housing Authority says it serves low-income residents across Reno, Sparks and Washoe County, and its site shows project-based waitlists opening on limited schedules rather than offering immediate placement for everyone who needs housing. (renoha.org) Washoe County’s Housing and Homeless Services division says it leads the region’s housing stability and homelessness response work, and another report on the Evergreen case says county outreach teams are being sent to the park. That means the immediate question is not only where residents can move their trailers, but whether they can avoid falling into shelters or homelessness while they search. (washoecounty.gov, nationaltoday.com) Nevada law sets a much longer timeline when a manufactured home park is actually closing. State statute says written notice of a closure must give tenants at least 180 days before they are required to move a manufactured home from the lot. (leg.state.nv.us, nevada.public.law) That same law says landlords must provide contact information for the state Manufactured Housing Division and lists of approved transporters and parks within 150 miles with reported vacancies. If a tenant elects to move a manufactured home, the landlord must pay moving costs within the limits spelled out in the statute; if the home cannot be moved or no park within 150 miles will take it, the landlord must pay fair market value. (nevada.public.law) The dispute now turns on what the March 31 notice legally represents: a park closure, a tenancy termination, or something else. Reno Justice Court says manufactured home park evictions are governed by Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 118B as well as the state’s property laws, which is why residents and advocates are focusing on whether the 30-day notice matches Nevada’s park-closure rules. (washoecounty.gov) For tenants with old trailers, the clock is tighter than the calendar suggests. A trailer that rents a lot for $500 a month can be hard to move, hard to place, and hard to replace — and by April 30, residents say they need an answer on whether they are leaving, getting more time, or forcing a legal fight. (mynews4.com)