These mobile home park residents fear losing their homes. Will Lacey help?
Residents of a mobile home park in southeast Lacey are lobbying Lacey City Council members to change zoning to protect their 55-and-older community, as well as other affordable housing in the city.
At a July 28 council work session, council member Carolyn Cox talked about correspondence she’d received.
She said council members have recently heard from those who live at Mountain Greens mobile home park, located in the 5200 block of 55th Lane Southeast, north of the Yelm Highway Walmart.
The residents want to preserve their community under a new zoning classification tied to mobile homes. The property currently is zoned low-density residential, according to Thurston County Assessor’s data. If the property is sold, it could be converted to other uses that might not be as affordable as a mobile home.
“They are interested in having us pursue the park preservation plan,” Cox said, adding, “I’d like to see us put some effort into at least trying to help them out.”
City Manager Scott Spence said he would reach out to the city’s Community and Economic Development department about the issue.
The rezone request was first submitted to the city in December 2021, according to agenda materials for a joint meeting between the council and city Planning Commission in late January.
“The residents are requesting the Planning Commission of the city of Lacey to adopt or create a manufactured home zone for affordable housing to meet our goal of affordable housing for residents,” the request reads.
They point out that rising land values have prompted some mobile home park landowners to sell their property to developers. A mobile home owner typically owns the home, but not the underlying land.
The residents said they are on fixed incomes, which prevents them from seeking other housing options.
The city of Tumwater has done something similar, they say, rezoning six mobile home parks into a manufactured home zone.
During the joint council/planning commission meeting in January, Community and Economic Development Director Rick Walk acknowledged the importance of mobile home parks in the context of affordable housing.
But he also said that kind of rezoning would require a lot of city staff time, research and engagement, not only with the public, but with other mobile home park owners and residents.
“I’m not sure we can accommodate it this year, but maybe in future years,” he said.
The Olympian was unable to reach a resident directly at the mobile home park. The Olympian also tried to contact a resident through council member Cox, but was unsuccessful.
“It’s very sad because this is a senior community, and most of the homes are too old to move,” Cox said in an email. “If residents are forced out, they would quite literally become homeless.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
