Make developer play by the rules

To the Editor,

Well, here it is March 19, 2012, seated in my home located in the Sheehy Adult Mobile Home Park just off of Oak Grove Rd. As I look there is an enormous amount of activity taking place with which the PBRMC is being erected (gladly). I, like many others in our residences are concerned that the city council are not forcing the developer (K2 Commercial Group) to play by the rules in general terms. We have known of this project about 3-4 years and were notified for at least the previous two. However, during this time was subjected to various meetings in which timetables were mentioned, options were to be given as to future locations and an array of other promises during the transition period evolving our relocation process. With this said, I feel that the residents are being positioned on the back burner of what will one day become a very heated topic. In the mean time the residents are subjected to various degrees of environmental hazards associated with construction site i.e., noise, dust and traffic problems. Such is the price of development in a community. However, the residents don't wish just sat quietly by while a developer consistently flouts the rules. We feel that it is the city's responsibility to act in the best interest of its residents. The residents do not know if they are going to receive what was told to them. We realize that developers have to deal with any number of issues: financing, marketing demand for construction, it is a complex business that usually runs smoother when the rules are followed, and because the rules are as complex as they are there are times when their hands are tied.

Gentrification is defined as the process by which wealthier people (K2 CommGrp) move into, renovate, and restore housing and sometimes businesses in inner cities or other deteriorated areas (Sheehy's) formerly home to less fortunate families. With that said not by any means am I suggesting that any residents within the Sheehy Adult Mobile Home Park are in this category, although being a very diverse community we have seniors, disabled, fixed incomes and young adults that maybe can't afford a home as of yet. However, it is our home. The largest criticism of gentrification though is its displacement of the redeveloped area's original inhabitants. Since gentrified areas are often in run down urban core, lower income residents are eventually priced out and are sometimes left with no place to go. In addition, retail chains, services, and social networks are also priced out and replaced with higher end and retail services (Eight Points Mall). It is this aspect of gentrification that causes the most tension between residents and developers. I agree with a premise that the city has a moral responsibility to their citizens if the city chooses to rezone a residential area to commercial. It saddens me to live in a town, where we are quick to contribute money and people resources to our neighbors in Joplin, when natural disasters removes Missourian from their homes (which we should do), and yet I see no organized efforts being made by our elected officials to assist the residents of the community with what I call a man-made eviction just because Eight Points Mall wants to replace a sustainable, properly managed mobile home park and permanent residential citizenry with a parking lot. I implore the city council to force the developer to play by the rules and be held accountable. This is my view and does not reflect the opinion of other residents of Sheehy Mobile Home Park.

Doyle E. Sappington

Poplar Bluff, Mo.