Windsong Mobile Home Park resident Tom Nuanez, 70, better known as “Sedona Tom,” received a notice on May 30.

“This letter is to formally notify you that as of August 1st, 2024 the monthly rent for your RV space … will be increasing to $1,000,” the 60-day notice read.

The park contains 36 lots, which are rented primarily by Latino households. Combined rental for each lot and mobile home, previously in the range of $750 to $900 per month, is expected to rise by an additional $300 to $400 per lot following Phoenix-based J&J Real Estate Holdings’ purchase of the property from RMB Sedona LLC.

For comparison, Sedona Shadows Mobile Home Park, a 55-and-over community, is currently advertising an available space for $1,280 monthly, with water, sewer and trash service an extra $70 and electricity an additional $58.

“What a crisis that is for Sedona, its locals and the epidemic we’re truly in … that’s the low-income housing of Sedona, right there,” Cornville resident and Sedona small business owner Christopher Nimtz said. “To be losing the true only real low-income housing that our town has to offer, what a joke.”

Nuanez said that he was previously paying $350 monthly for each of his two lots, although he also pays less because he owns his own trailer. After operating a chauffeur service out of the park for the last nine years, he said that the rent increases would be forcing him to move to Cornville, but that he would keep looking for a staging area in Sedona for his driver service.

“I’m not concerned for me because of how I’ve established myself in this town with my designated driver service. I do that seven nights a week here in town,” Nuanez said. “It’s just the last 10 years I’ve been watching this town just boom with no regard for anybody else … we’re all the working people and this town is not going to do anything.”

Nuanez added that he thought about reaching out to several state legislators and candidates about the issue of housing affordability and held an informal meeting with several concerned citizens.

“Nobody comes here … nobody, it’s like a bubble, nothing escapes this place, you don’t see unless it’s coming to buy crystals or pay $1,600 a night for a hotel room,” Nuanez said.

Long-time Windsong resident and former park manager Andrea Curry said that she isn’t “very optimistic” about finding another housing option.

“I’m hoping I will but it’s not looking very possible,” Curry said. “Because even if I worked two jobs, I don’t feel like I’d make enough necessarily to find a place for me and my kids.”

“We will be making repairs around the property and are committed to keeping this a safe, crime-free, family community,” stated the notice from J&J Real Estate Holdings, which used the tagline “Your Cash Flow Property Partners.”

J&J Real Estate Holdings did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Curry said that she had not been informed of what those repairs were expected to be and expressed frustration at the recent demolition of a mobile home on lot 35 that she felt was removed without notice or explanation to Windsong residents. She also argued the demolition caused temporary health problems for her and other residents.

J&J Real Estate Holdings, which also owns Zane Grey RV Village in Camp Verde, bought Windsong on April 26 for $2.985 million. J&J purchased it from Real Offer LLC, which had acquired the property earlier that day from RMB Sedona. RMB Sedona originally bought the park in December 2005 for $2.9 million.

“It’s been traumatizing for people,” Curry said, especially for the Spanish-speaking residents, who, Curry added, may not be aware of all of their rights because of the language barrier. “It’s kind of been an ongoing rumor for years that eventually that [property would be sold]. But It doesn’t make people prepared for it. And I know it was terrifying for me. I’m still terrified actually because I don’t know where we’re going to go and it’s funny because I wanted to get away from here for so long.”