Goleta Extends Senior Housing Protections, Is Sued in Federal Court

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This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.

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Goleta city councilmembers voted to maintain the senior-status of University Mobile Home Park on Tuesday, extending the senior mobile home housing overlay that applies to the park until February 2027. The initial 45-day emergency overlay passed last month would have expired on April 3. The park’s owners and managers have sued the city in federal court over this emergency ordinance. 

What Is University Mobile Home Park? 

About 80 seniors, many of them low-income, call the park home. Located just off Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta, mobile homes are arranged in neat rows. For decades the park has served primarily senior citizens. Most people own their mobile homes and rent a space. Before the property’s new owners came on last fall, spaces rented from between $200-$450 per month, according to park residents. 

During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, residents spoke about what it meant to keep the park as senior housing. One resident said that she had lived in the park for 16 years, and in that period survived cancer three times. She said the senior park provided her with a strong community. 

“I lived there because the people are kind. I’ve made great friends, and it’s a place where everybody sticks together,” she said.

A Change in Ownership 

A company called University Park Manufactured Housing Community, LLC, purchased the property in October 2025. This company was filed with the State of California two months prior. Some park residents told the Independent that beforehand, they were told the park was sold to Three Pillar Communities, a national investment company that buys and manages mobile home parks and manufactured homes. On its website, Three Pillar said it is a for-profit affordable housing investor and that it believes in charging market rents. 

Harmony Communities Inc., which manages mobile home parks throughout California, came on as the park’s new management company that same month. They soon sent updated rules to residents, which included changing the park to an all-ages community. Several residents opposed the change, saying they chose the mobile home park because of the quiet and stability of being around other seniors. 

Alongside the new rules, Harmony sent a notice that residents’ rent would increase by $200 per month, causing many residents’ rents to jump by more than 50 percent. Harmony told the Independent that the increase was meant to cover operating costs, which had gone up a lot since the City of Goleta’s mobile home rent control ordinance went into effect. In December, University Mobile Home Park residents and Harmony reached an agreement for a staggered rent increase that would ultimately lead to $150 more per month after five years.

A Senior Mobile Housing Overlay 

In a 4-1 vote in December, Goleta’s City Council directed staff to draw up a senior housing overlay that would effectively keep the mobile home park for senior citizens. In February, the council passed the initial emergency ordinance. Councilmember James Kyriaco, who represents the area where the park is located, said it was a step to protect an affordable senior housing community. 

“We can do what we can to make sure that at least in one part of our city, there’s one place you could go as a senior and have a reasonable opportunity to be able to live affordably,” Kyriaco said at last month’s meeting. 

That 4-1 split has remained as the city passed and extended the ordinance. Councilmember Stuart Kasdin voted against the ordinance, saying the need for affordable housing was dire for families and seniors alike, and that no one would be evicted by the change.

Followed by a Lawsuit

Goleta is facing legal pushback over the overlay. University Park Manufactured Housing Community LLC filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Goleta earlier this month. The lawsuit alleges that the overlay forces the mobile home park owners to discriminate against families and children, which is illegal under the Fair Housing Act. 

This is not Harmony Communities’ only lawsuit in the Santa Barbara area. The company has sued the County of Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara Superior Court over Del Cielo Mobile Estates, another mobile home park near Orcutt. That lawsuit came after the county established a similar senior mobile home park overlay to stop the conversion of Del Cielo Mobile Estates into all-ages housing. The trial for that case is scheduled for this July. 

Who Are the Owners? 

No park owner has attended a city council meeting in recent months. In February, Harmony Communities spokesperson Nick Ubaldi spoke during public comment through Zoom. He said the park doesn’t meet the requirements it needs to be seniors-only. 

Outside of Tuesday’s meeting, some park residents told the Independent that they had never met the park owners or Harmony management staff in-person and that the park was currently without an on-site manager. 

On March 10, the company filed its notice of interested parties, as required by the court. Those parties include Molly Thompson, the former secretary for Harmony Communities Inc. She signed the state filing documents for the company that owns the park (Harmony has identified itself as the manager and said that it is not the owner). Nick Ubaldi, Harmony Communities’ spokesperson, is also named. Yoel Kelman and Daniel Weisfield, co-founders of Three Pillar Communities, the company residents said they were initially told owned the park, are listed. 

Three Pillar Communities and Harmony Communities have a past relationship. Both have links to a company called San Rafael Housing Communities LLC; Harmony CEO Brue Davies and Three Pillar Communities LLC are both listed on the company’s filing document with the state. The City of San Rafael sued Harmony and this LLC over what it alleged were illegal rent hikes in 2022; that suit ended in settlement. 

Evictions and Rent Increases 

While the council hearing on Tuesday focused on the senior housing overlay, residents also voiced concerns about the evictions of their neighbors who rent their mobile homes, including Section 8 tenants. 

The Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County said that two tenants who use Section 8 vouchers lived in the park according to their records. One, a veteran, was given a 90-day notice but the county Housing Authority does not know the circumstances of that notice.

The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara said it also supplies two tenants with Section 8 vouchers; both still live in the park, according to the Housing Authority’s records.  

Neither Harmony Communities nor Three Pillar Communities respond to a request for comment for this story. In a past response, Harmony Communities alleged that one Section 8 tenant had asked them to conceal an attempt to buy one of the park-owned mobile homes to keep their Section 8 benefits, but did not provide more details on whether this person was evicted or whether this is illegal. 

Price Increases

Empty spots in the park are going for more than in years past. Last month, two spots from University Mobile Home Park were listed on Zillow. One space was advertised for $995 per month, while the other was advertised for $521 per month — a far cry from the modest rents many residents pay.