John Dowling and other residents of the Winchester Ranch Mobile Home Park could be forced out of their homes if developer Pulte Homes buys the park property, which is adjacent to Santana Row and the Valley Fair mall in San Jose. Cali-Arioto Properties owns the land, and like a lot of mobile home park owners in the region, the family proprietor is exploring the option of selling the lot, which houses more than 145 mostly low-income seniors and disabled residents. Real estate prices are going up and the park lies in a part of the city pegged for future mixed-use development under the city’s General Plan.

Despite having a reputation for sprawl, rent in San Jose increased at a higher rate than anywhere else in the nation, according to a city memo distributed Tuesday. A 3-percent increase is the highest allowable under the city’s ordinance, and many of the people targeted by recent rent hikes include mobilehome owners who rent land for their homes.