Suit filed over low-income resident relocation

As the Coachella Valley continues to grow at a rapid pace, with ever-increasing housing costs, some residents are finding themselves being pushed out of what they consider to be affordable housing to make room for yet more affordable housing. In La Quinta, three residents of the Vista Dunes mobile home park recently filed suit against the city over the city's affordable housing project planned for the site where their homes are located. The federal lawsuit filed this month by Ramon Garcia Martinez, Jose De La Pena and Alfredo Inclan names the city of La Quinta, its Redevelopment Agency, the City Council and its members individually. The homes of the three residents and 89 others will be replaced with homes that will help the city meet state affordable housing requirements. The residents will have to move to make way for a $19 million project to build 82 new single-family modular rental homes for very-low-income households. According to the attorney for the three plaintiffs, La Quinta is not doing a good job of providing options for adequate, comparable replacement housing, forcing families to move outside of La Quinta.  [more ]