The city of Sonoma has released a draft of its overhauled mobile home park closures and conversions ordinance, marking a critical step in the city’s effort to safeguard its vital affordable housing stock.
The draft ordinance, which was released March 19, is available for public review and aims to toughen protections for Sonoma’s mobile home park residents.
Sonoma’s three mobile home parks — Moon Valley, Pueblo Serena and Sonoma Oaks — provide more than 450 affordable housing units for low-income and senior residents.
The proposed changes to the city’s municipal code outline new requirements for mobile home park owners who seek to convert, close or cease the use of a park. The draft reflects optional measures that residents have advocated for, as well as changes that are mandated by state law.
Recent legislation, including Assembly Bill 2782 and Senate Bill 610, expands mobile home park resident protections and requires local governments to make changes to reflect new standards for relocation assistance, notice periods and data about affordable housing impacts.
Sonoma City Manager David Guhin said a redline version of the draft is available on the website and was developed with the City Council’s input from the last study session.
The core conflict has centered on protecting the city’s low-income and senior mobile home residents from displacement. Residents have long argued that the current ordinance — which dates back to 2004 — is insufficient, while park owners have urged the city to adopt only the minimal changes required by state legislation.
The draft mandates a comprehensive Relocation Impact Report for any park conversion application, with the cost of an independent, city-selected consultant and appraiser paid for by the park owner.
Resident protections detailed in the draft include a fair market compensation, where park owners would be required to pay residents for the full, in-place fair market value of their home if it cannot be reasonably relocated to a comparable park within Sonoma County. This valuation is to be determined by a state-certified appraiser.
Park owners would also be required to provide relocation assistance for displaced residents, including payment for physical moving costs such as the teardown and setup of movable improvements like carports and porches and the packing and unpacking of personal property.
Financial assistance would also be required for the first and last month’s rent and security deposit at the new location and a lump sum to compensate for the rental rate differential between the closing park and the new location for the first year of the new tenancy.
The draft also mandates an extended notice period, requiring applicants to provide residents with a copy of the RIR and a notice of the City Council hearing at least 60 days before the scheduled hearing date. Any conversion permit granted will be valid for a limited period, expiring after two years unless a different time limit is set by the City Council.
The City Council signaled support for these resident-leaning protections during a Dec. 3 study session, directing staff to draft an ordinance that provides stronger, clear protections for Sonoma’s mobile home residents.
Guhin said he shared the draft ordinance with both the mobile home residents and park owners and requested their feedback on the changes and a timeline for bringing it back to the council.
In order to give mobile home park residents, park owners and the public time to review the draft, Guhin said the item will be brought back to the Council on April 15.
“The goal of the study session on April 15 will be to ensure that the direction received by the City Council is reflected in the draft red line, and to receive additional input and feedback from the Council and the public prior to bringing back for consideration of adoption at a later date,” Guhin said.
The draft is available on the city’s website, https://www.sonomacity.org/mobilehome-park-closures-and-conversions-ordinance-update/.
This story was updated at 12:30 on March 25 to include the date of the next City Council study session.
