Residents of the Gateway Estates, a mobile home community just east of the Dripping Springs city limits, are seeking more time after receiving 60-day notices to vacate their homes from the park's owner, Gateway Development LLC.
Residents of the Gateway Estates mobile home were told by their landlord, Gateway Development LLC, they have 60 days to move their homes and personal property.The residents are pleading for more time and are now in discussion with the owner, and city, and county officials to find a solution to their housing crisis. PHOTO BY KEN VARGAS
The residents received letters, which they describe as eviction notices, informing them they must move their homes within 60 days. Several residents appealed to the Dripping Springs City Council on Aug. 6, asking for the city's intervention.
Gateway Development LLC, which purchased the property in March 2022, has not yet filed redevelopment plans with the city's development services department. The company says residents have been on month-tomonth leases for more than a year, and the 60-day notice is standard practice when terminating leases.
Speaking on behalf of the residents, Chuck Lemmond, of Hometown Ministries, addressed the council.
“All 36 residents in that community have received what amounts to an eviction notice, giving them 60 days to move their mobile homes off the property or face having them destroyed as trespassing,” Lemmond said.
Lemmond noted that Hometown Ministries has spent 14 years assisting residents of Gateway Estates, including aiding in recovery efforts after a tornado.
“This letter is shocking and just a terrible thing,” Lemmond added. “It may be correct by lease standards, but giving anyone 60 days to vacate a mobile home is nearly impossible, especially in Dripping Springs.”
Dripping Springs Mayor Bill Foulds said he was made aware of the issue in late July and thanked Lemmond for bringing it to the city’s attention. Although the park is outside the city limits, Foulds confirmed that no redevelopment plans have been submitted.
Council Member Sherry Parks expressed sympathy for the residents.
“You are my neighbors. You're an important part of this community,” Parks said. “I don't know what we can do to help, but we're going to give it our best shot.”
Jim Luketich, a resident of Gateway Estates for 12 years, also urged the council to intervene, and said, “These folks need more time . . . it would be reasonable to arrange an extension until at least the end of the year.”
Luketich added that as a resident who now has to move, he needs more time to relocate his orchard of nearly 30 fruit trees, which his arborist advised should be moved when they go dormant in December.
Janice Englehart, a board member of Hometown Missions, also spoke on behalf of residents, highlighting the plight of an elderly couple living in the park for 28 years. The couple, both in their late 60s and facing serious health issues, care for their daughter with special needs.
“Sixty days is just ludicrous for them to try and figure this out,” Englehart said.
In a follow-up interview, Lemmond said that while it is not typical for Hometown Ministries to intervene in such matters, discussions with Gateway Development have been positive. “We met with the owner of Gateway and the conversation has started,” Lemmond said. He added that the company is willing to work with residents but the discussions are early.
A spokesman for the company said they are open to working with residents on relocation assistance but have not established a new timeline.
Gateway Development said the vacate notices are necessary to address aging utilities and infrastructure on the property.
