Elisept Vanegas held her niece in a sidehug as they watched a bulldozer ram into their kitchen and bring down their front door. Their five children played in the grass, and one boy held his hand over his mouth, unblinking at the site.
Vanegas, who has lived at Forest View Mobile Home park for two years, stood at the culmination of a nearly yearlong effort to save the park after Blue Island officials ordered the property owners to evict residents, citing unsafe conditions, incorrect zoning, unpaid water debt and code violations.
As 66 homes are set to be demolished by the end of May, what’s next for the more than 15-acre parcel at 13800 Division St., is unknown to the city.
An attorney for the property owners, Charles Zivin, said Tuesday he has not heard any recent plans for the property. He said the company received an industrial-use offer from a truck parking company months, but said that is no longer active.
Joe Cervantes, one of the residents who advocated for saving the park, said most residents have been priced out of Blue Island and plan to move to Harvey.
He said one resident has moved his trailer, and another hopes to, but for the most part people are leaving behind their homes.
Pedro Rodriguez, who has lived in the park for 27 years, said he plans to live in a house with his daughters near the park.
A nearby mobile home park in Harvey, Dixie Garden Homes, offered to help residents move their home there.
But several residents, including Vanegas and her family, said they do not have another housing option.
Vanegas said her family has five children, and her niece is pregnant with another child, which she said makes it hard to move far because they do not want to disrupt the children’s school.
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“My family and I feel sad because we were getting used to living in this little house and I’m not sure what happened that we were all forced to leave,” she said.
Zivin said the owners told him they hoped to find a buyer to purchase the land as a vacant industrial parcel without “having to deal with the tenants and demo and all the cleanup” so the property owners could get their money back from the demolition.
Zivin said the company is spending about $5,000 to demolish each unit, which amounted to more than $52,000 on Tuesday alone, to comply with city orders to shut down the park and to avoid squatters.
He said the demolitions are not for any upcoming development plans.
“My understanding is that the city has been breathing down my clients neck,” he said. “They didn’t tell us we had to destroy the homes, but if you can’t move the home and somebody is moving out, then to prevent squatters we had no choice but to demo immediately.”
Blue Island Ald. Josh Roll said Tuesday the city appeared to be actively involved in seeking an interested buyer when property water bill issues came to light in 2023. But he said he is generally unclear on the property’s timeline.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Committee discussed a plan in May 2025 for a truck terminal, including changing the property’s zoning from general industrial and single-family residential to limited industrial zoning use, according to the meeting agenda.
Roll said the deal with the trucking company never came to a vote before the City Council.
Roll said since last spring the city administration appears to have stepped away from being involved in the property, and he would like to know why.
“I never heard why that initial deal fell through, but this is again where the city could and should lead if it truly wanted to do what was best for residents,” Roll said.
City administrator Thomas Wogan did not answer multiple requests to comment.
Attorneys for the property owners, Mer-Car Corporation and Steven Dukatt, have said the owners were open to selling the park to a residential buyer who could request proper zoning permit and revitalize the park, which the city did not outright oppose, but when a buyer did come forward, the sale was never finalized.
The interested buyer who proposed residential property plans, Canaan Van Williams with Proactive Realty Income Fund II, said Wednesday he remains interested in purchasing the property. He said he has continued contacting the property owners but has not heard back since February.
As for the residents, their situation ended in watching a bulldozer take to their house in exchange for checks ranging between $1,250 and $5,000 from Forest View management.
Zivin said the majority of residents are scheduled to move out this month, with June designated as a buffer period for certain situations.
Vanegas said she has not found affordable options to stay. She said she and her neighbors need help.
“There are many neighbors here who can’t find anywhere to rent a home,” Vanegas said. “If there’s anyone that can find a place out there, who can help us, most importantly that is near here, even if it’s a mobile home, it doesn’t matter.”
While Vanegas watched a Bobcat excavator swing at her home Tuesday, a car full of people from Indiana pulled up behind her and began scavenging for aluminum in the wreckage of homes.
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