West Deptford Committee Approves Willow Woods Rent Hike

In stark contrast to , the quietly voted 5-0 Thursday to approve a deal with the management of Willow Woods mobile home park that partially reversed a rejected rent increase.

The approval means an immediate rent hike of about $12.61 on average for residents of the park, which will be retroactive to last September.

California-based Carlyle Group, which owns the park, had asked for an appeal of the decision, but ended up pulling a cost-of-living increase off the table in order to get the deal done and avoid another hearing, which solicitor Anthony Ogozalek said would've had to been based on the testimony from the original meeting last summer.

That left the township committee to approve an increase based on property taxes and utility costs, which Carlyle Group originally showed they'd paid in the initial rent increase application.

“They're probably entitled to that,” West Deptford administrator Eric Campo said.

The lone voice against the deal came from Carol Baker, a member of the rent control board that rejected the Carlyle Group's move last August to hike the rent at the mobile home park, citing at the time living conditions in the park and a litany of complaints from residents who attended that meeting.

“It's not right,” Baker said. “The people had a right to come up here and voice their opinion.”