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MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Jay R. Lindgren Phil Steger DATE: September 26, 2016 RE: Lowry Grove Closure On June 15, 2016, the City of St. Anthony received a letter from The Village, LLC (“The Village”) indicating that it had acquired the Lowry Grove Manufactured Home Park (“Lowry Grove” or “the Park”) and that it intended to close the park and relocate all Park residents by March 17, 2017 (“closure statement”). Receipt of the closure statement triggered a number of obligations imposed on the City Council by the St. Anthony City Code and the Minnesota manufactured home park closings statute, Minn. Sta. § 327C.095 (“Park Closure Statute”). The closure statement is enclosed as Attachment 1. Section 111.092 of the St. Anthony City Code requires that the City “hold” a public hearing within 90 days of receiving a closure statement. Subdivision 3 of the Park Closure Statute also requires the Council to hold a public hearing upon receipt of a closure statement, in order to initiate a process for compensating home owners displaced by the closure for the cost of relocating their homes. Subdivision 4 requires the public hearing to accomplish the following tasks: • Review the closure statement; • Review the impact of closure on home owners and the park owner; • Inform affected home owners of their potential eligibility for compensation from the Minnesota Manufactured Home Relocation Trust Fund; and • Appointment of a neutral third party to make compensation recommendations and apply for relocation payments from the Fund on the residents’ behalf. Soon after receiving the closure statement, the City Council became aware that The Village’s ownership of the Park, and thus its right to close the Park, was being challenged by a lawsuit filed in Hennepin County Court. The lawsuit alleges that the sale to The Village violated Subdivision 6 of Park Closure Statute. This subdivision requires the Seller of the Park to give home owners a 45 day right of first refusal to purchase the park. If during that 45-day window home owners, or a non-profit having the support of 51% of the home owners, supply the Seller with a proposal matching the 23