Gary Wonsewicz, who lived in Lowry Grove for 19 years, drives by the vacant site nearly every day and this week noticed the new "Urban Grove" banner hanging from the property's chain-link fence.
"It's kind of a slap in the face for us former residents," said Wonsewicz, a railroad carpenter. "There's a lot of tears and literally blood shed over that fiasco that they pushed upon us."
The new homes now planned for the site will be priced under $99,000, Hoyt said.
The Urban Grove website shows photos of homes with sleek countertops and decor, touting amenities such as a clubhouse and community garden.
Hannah Covington • 612-673-4751
Urban Grove will replace the mobile home park in St. Anthony. Nearly 100 people moved when Lowry Grove closed in 2017. It’s the tale of two parks, with Lowry Grove in St. Anthony and Park Plaza in Fridley providing a case study for the divergent paths mobile home communities can take. At one time, Phil Johnson owned both. They are similar in size and located 7 miles apart, both an easy commute to downtown Minneapolis while giving low-income residents access to good schools and suburban amenities. But one, Lowry Grove, closed last month, leaving neighbors scrambling. Meanwhile, Park Plaza has become a thriving cooperative community, owned by its residents and with no threat of closure. Advocates say resident ownership is one way to keep these parks afloat, and about 1,000 communities across the country have now adopted this model. In Minnesota, a place that has long championed co-op economic ventures, the idea is catching on. One group has helped nine parks in the region make this transition in the last decade. A tenth, in Rochester, is slated for completion this summer.**Jerry Wonsewicz, Gary Wonsewicz,cq Jerry Wonsewicz, 80, right, gets help moving his belongings from his one Gary Wonsewicz, 57, both residents of Lowry Grove mobile home park Friday, June 30, 2017, in St. Anthony, MN. Lowry Grove closed it’s gate and all residents had to be gone by 12 midnight on July 1, the space slated to be redeveloped into multiple-family housing.]
DAVID JOLES • david.joles@startribune.com It’s the tale of two parks, with Lowry Grove in St. Anthony and Park Plaza in Fridley providing a case study for the divergent paths mobile home communities can take. At one time, Phil Johnson owned both. They are similar in size and located 7 miles apart, both an easy commute to downtown Minneapolis while giving low-income residents access to good schools and suburban amenities. But one, Lowry Grove, closed last month, leaving neighbors scrambling. Meanwhile, Park Plaza has become a thriving cooperative community, owned by its residents and with no threat of closure. Advocates say resident ownership is one way to keep these parks afloat, and about 1,000 communities across the country have now adopted this model. In Minnesota, a place that has long championed co-op economic ventures, the idea is catching on. One group has helped nine parks in the region make this transition in the last decade. A tenth, in Rochester, is slated for completion this summer.**Jerry Wonsewicz, Gary Wonsewicz,cq (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
![Jerry Wonsewicz, 80, right, gets help moving his belongings from his one Gary Wonsewicz, 57, both residents of Lowry Grove mobile home park Friday, June 30, 2017, in St. Anthony, MN. Lowry Grove closed it's gate and all residents had to be gone by 12 midnight on July 1, the space slated to be redeveloped into multiple-family housing.] DAVID JOLES • david.joles@startribune.com It’s the tale of two parks, with Lowry Grove in St. Anthony and Park Plaza in Fridley providing a case stud](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/TCS2JEOBCF6LUKHLN362CGIS2E.jpg?&w=712)
