Lemon Grove officials are considering increasing residential tenant protections after residents of a local complex complained their new landlord is bending rules to clear out longtime renters and re-list units at double the price. Situated in the center of Lemon Grove, Serra Grove is a 64-unit compl ex composed of one- and two-bedroom apartments. Formerly named Olive Tree Apartments, the development primarily houses seniors and was purchased in November by the Phoenix-based company Orsett Serra Grove for $14 million. It had previously been owned by a family for many years. Gino Quarles has lived in her apartment at Serra Grove for 10 years. On Jan. 8, she was given a notice that said she had 90 days to move out. She was the first tenant to receive such a notice. Her wife, Sheila Spencer, lives in another apartment at the complex. She received a similar notice a few weeks later. Soon after, more tenants also were told to vacate their apartments. Most of them were given 60 days to vacate, but Section 8 recipients got 90 days. The notices said the landlord is permitted by state law to ask tenants to vacate the property because of plans to “substantially remodel” the apartments. Those who received notices were offered one month of free rent. According to several of the notices, planned renovations included tearing down drywall, rerouting water and drain lines, upgrading the electrical system, installing new drain pipes, putting in new kitchen and bathroom fixtures, re-doing flooring, and installing new washers and dryers. According to the notices, the work is expected to be done in 45 days. Twenty-three units at Serra Grove have been listed on online rental sites as being available at double the monthly rent current tenants are paying. Renovations have started in some units, Spencer said, but it is unclear if the work is complete. A one-bedroom apartment currently rents for $1,235 a month, tenants say, but newly vacant units are being offered for $2,450 a month. Serra Grove officials could not be reached for comment. The tenants’ concerns raised alarms for Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow, who is a housing rights attorney. Snow had campaigned on increasing affordability and improving housing stability for city residents. “They’re trying to circumvent rent control,” Snow said, noting that state law caps rent increases at 10% per year. During a meeting with tenants Sunday, Snow urged residents to get in touch with housing rights attorneys. Mayor Allyson Snow met with tenants to talk to about tenant’s rights, on Sunday, January 25, 2025. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune) At the same time, Snow said the city attorney is drafting language for an emergency ordinance designed to increase protections for residential tenants. She said it will be on the City Council agenda Feb. 3. If it passes with a four-fifths vote, it will go into effect immediately. “This is me making good on the promises I’ve made,” Snow said. “We have to protect the remaining naturally occurring affordable housing.” While specifics of the ordinance are not finalized, Snow pointed to other cities in the county that have passed similar restrictions. Chula Vista, San Diego and Imperial Beach have approved legislation that increased protections for renters by requiring “just cause” for evictions. But time is of the essence for tenants like Quarles and Spencer, who are scrambling to find accommodations in case they are forced to move. The tenants who have not yet received notices were told to expect them, Spencer said. “Me and my partner are both on Section 8, so it is complicated,” Spencer said. “It’s really hard. Everyone wants a $1,900 deposit, who can afford all that?” Nine-year Serra Grove resident Daniel Morrissey also received a notice. The situation left him with no choice but to sign a lease elsewhere, he said. He said he worried that he would become homeless if he stayed until the end of the 60-day period. “If they bought a building and they knew that there were 67 lawyers living here, they wouldn’t be doing this,” Morrissey said. “But they knew there were a lot of elderly and disabled people living here. Of course it’s confusing for us.”   ...read more read less