New Landlord, Planned Upgrades, Increased Rents Leave Hundreds Of Families In 551-Unit Twin-Cities Area Building In Fear Of Getting The Boot

In St. Louis Park, Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

• Hundreds of families could be forced out of affordable housing in St. Louis Park, as the new owner of one of the Twin Cities’ largest apartment complexes begins an upgrade of sprawling Meadowbrook Manor.
  
  New lease agreements are going out to some 350 households, with rent increases of $100 to $125 a month. Residents must undergo a criminal record check and prove they have income of at least 2½ times the monthly rent. About two-thirds of the residents at the 551-unit complex are on month-to-month leases.
  
  On Wednesday, nearly two dozen government, community and faith leaders met at City Hall to discuss how they can help families who may be forced to move.
  
  “We want to wrap our arms around those folks so they get the support they need, whether they continue to live at Meadowbrook or not,” said St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano. “In most communities, that is not what would happen.”
  
  Earlier this year, Helen Bigos sold Meadowbrook to her son Ted. Bigos Management, which operates more than 40 apartment complexes in the Twin Cities, declined to comment.
  
  A similar scenario is playing out in Richfield, where the new owner of the 700-unit Concierge apartments is upgrading the complex, raising rents and evicting residents who can’t pass background checks and meet income standards.

For more, see Hundreds of families could be forced out of Meadowbrook Manor in St. Louis Park (As upgrade begins, leaders and families prepare for change). mass eviction