Orangeland RV Park residents face uncertainty as longtime Orange park prepares to close

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) -- Residents of the Orangeland RV Park in Orange say they are facing an uncertain future after learning the longtime RV community is being sold and is expected to close.

The Orangeland RV Park has been family-owned and operated since 1972 and serves both tourists and full-time residents, some of whom have lived there for decades.

Residents said they learned in February that the property was being put up for sale, but many remain unsure about when they will have to leave.

"We were on the list for two years to be able to get in here," said resident Christina Ingels, who secured a spot at the park five years ago.

Ingels described the park as a close-knit community.

"This has been wonderful," she said. "There's a little store here. There's this spot where you can wash your unit or wash your car and fill up the fires in your car and it's like it's own little community. It's really great."

Residents said they have received varying information about the timeline for the park's closure.

"It's up and down but they're saying possibly for a year. We'll be here a year until like May," Ingels said.

"We don't really have any idea," said Deborah, another resident.

Deborah, who grew up in Orange and has lived at the park since 1999, also works there. She said the closure means she will lose both her home and her job.

"I was really so depressed because of losing a job and losing a home because it's too old to move anyplace else. I have to get a new RV," Deborah said.

She said replacing her RV will force her to continue working longer than she had planned.

"You wouldn't believe how many people are so bummed and upset," she said.

The park is also a destination for tourists and temporary visitors. It's located just miles away from Disneyland.

"I'm just a Wisconsin girl living her California dream so when I found this place, I felt very privileged and lucky," said Gracie Coviello.

Coviello said finding long-term RV spaces has become increasingly difficult.

"Oh my gosh it's like trying to find a hotel during the Super Bowl, right? Like it's so difficult and places are becoming smaller and smaller and rates are going up and up," she said.

A park manager told Eyewitness News that the expected buyer plans to redevelop the property into condominiums. The manager said park operators have been working with full-time tenants to help them find new places to live and noted that many residents have already left.

However, some residents said they have been unable to find comparable spaces at similar rates within 100 miles.

"I'm going to stay till the dirty end. We're older and we don't have a lot of money," Ingels said. "We joke we're going to park under an overhang somewhere, but we'd like to be able to stay in our unit or we may end up selling and living in an apartment again. Yuck."

The City of Orange declined to comment on the closure.