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Resident urges council to revisit Walnut Lane buyouts as longtime tenants face steep rent increases
Summary
During public comment, a longtime Moab resident described Walnut Lane residents being offered buyouts or relocated, with some former tenants now paying roughly $2,500 monthly for homes they previously paid $400 for, and asked the council to place the matter on an agenda.
Charlotte Mates, who said she has lived in Moab for 30 years, used the meeting’s public‑comment period to ask the city to revisit how it handled Walnut Lane residents after a motel property was taken out of residential use.
Mates said residents previously paying “$400 a month” were offered buyouts or relocation and that some now pay about “$2,500 for the same home.” She said a proposed multi‑lingual meeting with city staff and residents had been suggested two years earlier but did not proceed; later a meeting of residents occurred but, she said, residents were “not asked what their needs were” and were instead offered buyouts.
Mates asked councilors to consider placing the Walnut Lane issue on a future agenda and offered to help work on a community committee; she said she had applied to serve on local committees for years without success and wanted to see the matter addressed publicly.
The comments were delivered during the meeting’s public comment period; the council did not take action on the item that night but acknowledged receipt of the request and thanked Mates for her time.
