A developer building a new Sheetz gas station in Reynoldsburg is delaying groundbreaking and offering thousands of dollars in moving expenses for tenants now forced to move from the current trailer park on the land.
"Knowing we're one of the last families left is devastating," grandmother Melinda Johnson, who is the legal guardian of her five young grandkids, said. "I was hoping we'd have something by now."
Tenants of Shepard's Mobile Home Park found out about the land sale around Christmas of last year. At the time, groundbreaking was set for May. About 40 tenants received certified letters from the land seller that they had to be out by June.
Tenants called ABC 6 On Your Side Problem Solvers then. Problem Solvers tracked down the president of the billion-dollar Sheetz Corporation. Travis Sheetz guaranteed a "fair and equitable solution" for all tenants involved.
In April, Developer Skilken Gold extended the move-out deadline by three months to August as tenants like Johnson has yet to secure a new lease for her family of six.
"Applying in this market is crazy," she said. "I'll see something posted. I'll call about it and within 24-48 hours, it's gone."
Skilken Gold has also offered all tenants $2,000 in financial assistance. Johnson sent Problem Solvers a photo of that agreement that earmarked the money for trailer removal. The agreement also required a tenant's signature.
Problem Solvers asked Issac Gold with Skilken Gold if they'd go after tenants who took the money and did not remove their trailers.
"No," Gold said. "Skilken Gold has taken responsibility to move the trailers ourselves out of our expense."
While Johnson has seen two homes so far for relocation, she has yet to put down any deposit. Gold assured his company would not move forward with the new gas station until tenants like Johnson has moved out safely and into a new home.
"We paused. We knew that would be costly from a financial sense. We knew that would be costly from a project sense," Gold said. "Integrity is really critical to us."