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In your original post you mentioned "high pride of ownership." Take a deep breath and repeat after me "I do not own this place. I do not own this place."
Because you don't. No matter how much you love it, you don't own it. Its time to find somewhere new.
I have been a LL and a tenant. A big mistake I made as a renter was falling in love with a property I didn't own. It only caused heartbreak when my LL started acting shady. Renting is so much easier, can be cheaper, and certainly more portable than owning. But no matter how much the place is wonderful YOU. DON'T. OWN. IT. And the LL does. And sounds like he can't wait for you to leave.
Renting has many advantages, to be sure, but a big disadvantage is exactly as you have outlined - you're at the mercy of your landlord as to what your monthly payment will be each year.
Honestly, while I would be annoyed at the increase in rent purely from a budgeting perspective, it doesn't sound unreasonable. It sounds like it was priced too low when you moved in, perhaps because that's what the market would support at the time, and now the LL is fixing that discrepancy...and it does seem that the market would support it now.
I understand that you think you're the best tenants a LL could want, and maybe that's true, maybe not. But please understand that for every deadbeat horror tenant, there are plenty of responsible tenants with good jobs and common sense...exactly like you. In the four years you've lived there, the property taxes could've increased, the HOA fees could've increased, homeowner's insurance, etc. All of that, coupled with the fact that it was low-priced to begin with, could explain the rent hikes now.
Or, as others have said, the LL just wants you out. This situation is at the cusp of turning ugly...and if it does, the one who will have the repercussions will not be the LL, it'll be you. Sign the lease and pay the new price, or prepare to be out at the end of January. Those are your only two options. Period.