Courtney Hendrix fears when her infant daughter is finally released from the neonatal intensive care unit, she won’t have a place to come home to. The manufactured home park where Hendrix lives is on the market for potential redevelopment.
But on Tuesday, the Clark County Council unanimously voted to extend a temporary freeze on redevelopment applications for manufactured home parks, giving Hendrix and thousands of other residents like her some relief.
In August, the Clark County Council approved a six-month emergency ordinance to pause all applications to redevelop mobile and manufactured home parks. These parks, where owners of mobile homes rent the land on which the buildings sit, are among the more affordable housing options.
“Without something like this preventing the redevelopment of these communities, you’re going to be looking at a number of families being homeless with no other options,” Hendrix told The Columbian after Tuesday’s meeting.
The county council’s August vote required a public hearing within 60 days, which occurred Tuesday before the council voted to extended the moratorium through an interim ordinance.
Hendrix and other residents of manufactured home parks across Clark County flooded the council’s hearing room. Staff had to open an adjacent room to accommodate the crowd.
About 20 people spoke during the public hearing. Almost all said that although manufactured homes are supposed to be affordable housing, big corporations purchasing their parks are pricing them out or putting them in constant fear that their parks will be redeveloped as something else.
Many urged the council to consider a permanent ordinance.
“There is a persistent housing crisis in Clark County. Temporary measures are not enough. We need a permanent solution to protect existing mobile home parks from redevelopment,” said Alexander Gerchikov, 77. “We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fairness and stability. Seniors and disabled residents cannot keep starting over every few years.”
Residents’ fears
The loss of manufactured home communities could fuel homelessness, which is already on the rise in Clark County, speakers said Tuesday. Older adults are one of the fastest-growing populations facing housing instability, given their fixed incomes and limited safety nets.
“I have no family, I live paycheck to paycheck, and I have serious health issues. So tell me, where are people like me supposed to go? Overcrowded nursing homes or tents along the freeway or in parks?” said Anna Abraham, a 67-year-old resident of Sunrise Acres Mobile Home Park.
Although a majority of those who attended Tuesday’s meeting live in 55-and-older parks, others said manufactured home communities offer stability for families and other low-income people.
Baer Dobson, 38, is a single father and caregiver. He told councilors that without the affordable homeownership he found in Colony Mobile Home Park, his family would likely not be able to stay afloat.
“Manufactured homes represent the last line of defense against homelessness for thousands of families in our county,” Dobson said. “They are an essential lifeline for single parents, the elderly on fixed incomes and vulnerable families recovering from health crises.”
The park where Dobson and Hendrix live is listed for sale. Park residents are trying to purchase the park but were outbid. Several others who spoke to the county council Tuesday said their parks are also for sale.
Councilors showed support for those who attended the public hearing. Councilors voted unanimously in favor of moving forward with the moratorium. (Councilor Glen Yung recused himself because a relative owns a unit in a mobile home park.)
“Six months isn’t a long time, but we do need to have that breathing room in order to develop whatever ultimately this council decides to adopt,” Council Chair Sue Marshall said. “Having the moratorium in place prevents development from occurring.”
Hendrix and others urged councilors to keep the conversation going during these six months.
“This is an opportunity to breathe freely again. This gives us more time but there is still that shadow lingering over us,” Hendrix told The Columbian. “My daughter has been fighting for her life, and I want to see the (council) fight for the most vulnerable people in the community … and for my daughter to have a home to come back to.”
