If you're looking to relocate to an RV park or mobile home park in Mesa or Apache Junction, Arizona, here is the first one you'll want to cross off your list.
What had been Cherokee Village mobile home park came under new ownership just over two years ago. The new owners, Cobblestone Property Management located in Chicago, Illinois, also goes by the name Tricon Lifestyles Community (TLC). Tricon/Cobblestone came with a ready reputation in and around Chicago and the northeast for being slumlords. Cobblestone renamed the place Rosehaven, a name suggestive of hospices, rest homes, funeral parlors, cemeteries and other not-so-subtle references to places where elderly people come to die.
Among the many Tricon/Cobblestone's false claims are, "By upgrading the amenities, branding the properties, offering more activities, and implementing more efficient management practices, TLC instills a pride of ownership and inspires a higher quality of life at a reasonable cost." Another optimistic sales piece brags of a fitness center, Internet, golf, bowling, excursions, holiday feasts, celebrations, parties, breakfasts - all of which are completely false.
Tricon/Cobblestone's Chief Operating Officer, a Chicago multi-millionaire named Jason Hagen, immediately began circulating grandiose promises about all the amenities, improvements and upgrades residents could look forward to enjoying, yet a year later, nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Hagen's first direct contact with residents was to threaten towing their vehicles if parked in front of their homes, but backed off when warned such action is illegal and could land him in court. Then in September, 2016, Mr. Hagen announced construction would be completed by September, 2017. (See his unsigned sidebar statement, below.)
Now, it's well into their third year, and little has changed. Angry workers spend perhaps two hours a week piddling around, making little more than noise and racket at 7 am. Many facilities are still not usable. Piles of construction materials, dirt and refuse dominate the grounds. Onsite events promised for residents are held across town instead, forcing residents to drive off property to participate, often
after dark. Water outages are common and come without warning, putting showers, kitchen, laundry facilities and toilets out of order indefinitely. Bulletin boards where residents place want-ads, event notices, group meetings, etc. have been permanently dismantled. Trash dumpsters previously were kept unlocked 24/7. Now, the lids are closed after dark, forcing residents to place their trash next to the dumpster, where it gets scattered by nocturnal animals.
Office staff rotates every few months. Rents have increased three times since this abusive slumlord took over, yet residents are getting no benefit from the facilities for which they're paying top dollar.
WARNING! Over the last couple of years Tricon/Cobblestone has acquired approximately a dozen similar parks in the Mesa area. ALL have been renamed with titles ending in "-haven", making it fairly easy to identify slumlord properties owned by Jason Hagen and Tricon/Cobblestone Property Management.
Mesa and Apache Junction are the motherload of better RV parks in the Phoenix area. Those tended over by professional slumlords are in the minority. Just be on guard for false or misleading statements. Arizona has a rather loosey-goosey attitude toward false statements in advertising.
UPDATE 4/13/2018 - Reply to Jason Hagen, Chief Operating Officer, Tricon Lifestyle Communities:
You're 'sorry', but not surprised?
A "slumlord" is a landlord who doesn't maintain his facility, does not timely make needed repairs, charges excessive/usurious rents, forces tenants to live without water, ignores open sewers, and usually lives nowhere near the site... ALL of which describe the new low to which Rosehaven has sunk over the past two years since Hagen assumed control. The balance of his reply is nothing but a lot of rhetorical double-talk, handy excuses and blaming everybody else.
Where is your monthly rent credit to Rosehaven residents barred from the facilities they're not able to use?
For the expense of traveling off-site to enjoy amenities they've already paid for?
For the loss of water for bathing and bathroom needs?
Where is your apology notice to residents that your deadlines aren't going be met?
Where are your responses to the specific allegations outlined in this review? Did you really believe a thick blanket of your corporate BS is all it would take to cover it up? Do you honestly believe the residents are that naïve, to be conned so easily?
Don't brag about what you intend to do, Mr. Hagen, show us what you've accomplished. You need to focus on raising the bar on your own work, before forecasting what you hope will happen with your competition.
"Welcome to Rosehaven - The Last Place You'll Ever Want To Live!" read more
