In what would become a confusing and contentious public hearing, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted to get rid of the mobile home park ordinance. But they could still be built as long as they aren’t on wheels. And without public input.
Initial backup documents state that getting rid of the mobile home park ordinance would make way for more affordable housing options with few restrictions. Assemblymember Rob Yundt offered a correction to the informational memo that revised the language to make new mobile home parks impossible. He says that was his intent when he brought the ordinance forward. While the correction would be noted in the record, it ultimately will have no legal bearing.
“My intention in doing this tonight is to make sure there will never be another mobile home park.”
No mobile home park permits have been requested since 1993. However, the ordinance carried with it a process for public input. Now, just as it was before, anyone can build a mobile home park with a multi-family housing permit. That is an administrative permit that does not go through the public comment process. There are provisions for setbacks, screening, stormwater, and other requirements in that permit. Mobile home parks could be considered dwellings in a multifamily development if the units are on permanent foundations.
Mayor Edna Devries ended a heated and testy exchange between Assemblymembers about whether a mobile home IS a mobile home if it has a permanent foundation. The answer is no, it is no longer a mobile home and would then qualify as any other home in a multi-family development. There was little debate about the overall makeup of the mobile home structure itself and whether that should define where the structure falls in code.
It all comes down to the foundation. Borough Planning and Land Use Director Alex Strawn explains.
“There’s a provision in the multi-family development code that limits the amount of substandard dwellings that can be put onto an individual parcel. And a mobile home because it does not have a foundation would be considered a substandard dwelling so there is a threshold there, a maximum amount that you can have on a piece of property, which is one per 40,000 square feet or two total regardless of the lot size. So if this ordinance passes, essentially it would prohibit mobile home parks from occurring within the Borough if it had over two mobile homes and if they were not on a foundation.”
Later, Assemblymember Yundt clarified that if the ordinance did not pass, there would still be a public process and mobile home parks would still be allowed. Now that it has passed, mobile home parks are still allowed as long as they are not on wheels and the developer meets the multi-family development permit requirements.
The Planning Commission requested that the Assembly combine the mobile home and multi-family development ordinances to take the best parts of each. They suggested preserving the public input, which would have also made it a requirement for multi-family developments.
During the discussion Strawn said that if the ordinance passed, little would likely change in the near future. He referenced market forces.
“So I think if this ordinance passes, not much will change because it’s likely market forces that are causing mobile home parks to not exist. Right now mobile home parks are not being built. If this passes tonight, mobile home parks will still not be built. If market forces change, and mobile home parks are all the sudden profitable again, they would not be allowed to be developed if this ordinance passes.
As long as they are still on wheels. And the Mat-Su Borough is the fastest growing in the State with housing already a problem.
