BEAVERTON -- Residents of Heritage Village, a manufactured home community in Beaverton, are feeling less threatened after managers of the complex posted notices saying no one faced the threat of eviction.
"There is continuing concern about the notices mailed to many of you on August 17, 2016. Heritage Village wants to clarify that it considers the notices to be withdrawn and have no legal effect," says the one-page notice from community owner Cal-Am Properties, taped to residents' homes on Thursday, Sept. 15. "Put another way, no one is at risk of termination of their lease in connection with these notices."
The letter urged residents "to continue to address the issues which have been identified and Heritage Village will continue to meet with its residents on an individual basis to resolve these issues. It remains Heritage Village's hope that we will be able to collaboratively resolve all maintenance issues with each resident without the need for further notices or legal proceedings."
The note concluded, saying, "We are working to be more compassionate in our communications and this letter is written in that spirit. Once again we extend our appreciation for the achievements made to date and for your continuing efforts. We look forward to your continued residency."
The Aug. 17 notice referred to in last week's memo referred to demands for exterior improvements. The Aug. 17 notice led many residents to believe that they faced eviction if improvements were not made to management's satisfaction. But homeowners said the improvements were met with additional demands from Cal-Am management.
On Sept. 2, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, sent a letter to Heritage Village managers urging them to work more closely with Heritage Village residents and discouraging threats of eviction.
In a two-page Sept. 12 reply, Cory Sukert, Cal-Am president and chief executive, told Bonamici that the effort to improve the Heritage Village exterior and surroundings had been underway since July 2014 when Heritage Village management started "significant capital improvements including major road resurfacing and major landscape improvements."
The letter also said, "We recognize that anytime people are asked to make changes, concerns and questions arise and that there is always room for improvement on how we communicate these changes."
In addition to Bonamici's office, District 17 state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward, state District 34 Rep. Ken Helm and Washington County Commissioner Greg Malinowski had been looking into residents' complaints. A meeting of officials with the elected representatives' offices and residents is scheduled for Oct. 4 in the Heritage Village community clubhouse at 123 S.W. Heritage Parkway in Beaverton.
-- Allan Brettman