14-05-2025
Kristana Mobile Home Park residents say vacant homes are being torn down, company says otherwise
DEWITT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLNS) — People living at the mostly-empty Kristana Mobile Home Park say a company, Capitol Mobile Home, began tearing down vacant homes in the lot without a permit last Thursday, but the company says that isn't the case.
Kristana Mobile Home Park has not been licensed to operate in the state of Michigan since 2023, and closed in April. , has asked the remaining residents to leave and even offered incentives for them to go. Now, residents say demolition efforts have begun.
'They literally started ripping the aluminum cladding off the outside of the trailer,' said Nathan Babcock, a resident of the park.
The owner of Capitol Mobile Home, Mike Ranke, says that's not what they're doing.
'We did not tear any of the homes down or start any demo,' said Ranke. 'We opened up one of the trailers to find to get samples of lead and asbestos testing, which then gets submitted with a demo permit.'
However, residents 6 News spoke with say differently.
'They tore stuff up on a trailer up by the roads. So, they've already started tearing stuff down,' said resident Tina Riggs.
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'They're doing it without a permit when they know they're in violation of laws,' said resident Jason Eldridge.
Ranke says the township was aware of their testing processs.
'I was in communication with them, and they knew that there was no demo-ing going on. So, therefore, we did not need a permit,' said Ranke.
While Ranke claims they didn't need a permit to get their samples, he admits his workers went a bit overboard.
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'My guys went a little bit farther than I said,' said Ranke. 'They cease and desist. The township guy gave me a call and said, 'Hey, I'm gonna do this. You know, we gotta follow legality ends.' I said, 'Nope. I understand.''
Eldridge says one of the homes that was torn into is a health hazard.
'It's riddled with black mold, and the individuals working on the home did not have any OSHA-approved protection equipment for dealing with such a thing,' said Eldridge.
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Ranke said there was no black mold in the home.
6 New has reached out to the owner of the park, Ara Darakjian, who replied via written statement.
'When we acquired the Kristana community from receivership, it had been neglected for years to the point that redevelopment is the only sustainable option. Our contractor was inspecting abandoned trailers in preparation for an eventual demolition of the property, but that will not happen without obtaining the appropriate permits, and certainly not while there are still residents living here. It's important that we ensure that the two remaining households find new homes before any work is started.'
Ara Darakjian, written statement, May 13, 2025.
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