Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Facing closure Mobile home parks in Snohomish County that are slated to close in 2008: * Manor Heights, Lynnwood, April 30; 43 spaces * Mariner Village, Everett, Aug. 31; 165 spaces * Penny Lane, Snohomish, Sept. 13; 22 spaces By the numbers Statistics on mobile home parks in Washington: * 51: Mobile home parks closed or set to close between 2006-08 * 1,987: Households displaced from those parks * 5.8: Average annual park closures from 1989-2002 * 13.6: Average annual park closures from 2003-07 * 1,000: Remaining parks located in urban growth areas Source: Washington state Department of Community, Trade & Economic Development Mobile home parks hearing A public hearing on stricter zoning for mobile home parks is planned by the Snohomish County Council at 1:30 p.m. June 25, on the eighth floor of the Drewel Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett. Mobile home parks in unincorporated Snohomish County Admiralty Way Mobile 13301 Admiralty Way, Everett 98204 Airport Inn 12130 Highway 99, Everett 98204 Alpine Mobile Park 13119 17th Ave. W., Everett Atlasta Mobile Park 13507 Highway 99 S., Lynnwood Avondale Mobile Home 2020 Center Road, Everett Cardinal Estates Park 8430 15th Place SE, Everett Carriage Club Estates 13320 Highway 99 S., Everett Chinook Mobile Park 12829 Highway 99 S., Everett Circle H Mobile Park 6413 123rd Ave. SE, Snohomish Clearview East Mobile 17410 87th Ave. SE, Snohomish Country Carriage Estates 20407 Little Bear Creek Road, Woodinville Country Club Mobile Park 23708 Locust Way, Bothell Country Manor 8730 206th St. SE, Snohomish Country Mobile Estates 11901 55th Ave. NE, Marysville Forest Grove 1530 148th St. NE, Arlington Fourth Ave Estates 11100 Fourth Ave. W., Everett Frontier Mobile Manor 1316 91st Ave. SE, Everett Kellogg Village MH Park 5711 100 St. NE, Marysville Kennard Mobile Estates 2200 196th St. SE, Bothell Kings Court 1920 196th St. SW, Lynnwood Lake Ki Mobile Park 1820 Lakewood Road, Arlington Lakeside Mobile Park 17004 E. Lake Goodwin Road, Stanwood Lakeview Mobile Park 101 S. Davies Road, Lake Stevens Lockwood Village 1121 244th St. SW, Bothell Lost Lake Mobile Park 13118 Lost Lake Road, Snohomish Lynnwood Heights 4111 164th St. SW, Lynnwood Machias Mobile Park 14827 Ok Mill Road, Snohomish Manor Heights Mobile Estates 4015 164th St. SW, Lynnwood Mariner Village 815 124th St. SW, Everett Martha Lake Mobile Manor 415 Lakeview Road, Lynnwood Meridian Village Mobile 11500 Meridian Ave. S., Everett Mountain View Estates 123rd Avenue and 66th Street, Lake Stevens North Creek Mobile Manor 19326 19th Ave. SE, Bothell Pilchuck Mobile Park 11100 92nd St. SE, Snohomish Plantation Mobile Park 9425 56th St. SE, Snohomish Ridge Acres Mobile Park 23121 Edmonds Way, Edmonds Royal Apt & Mobile Park 13016 Highway 99 S., Everett Royal Coachman 1332 192nd St. SE, Bothell Serene Terrace Mobile 14322 Admiralty Way, Lynnwood Seven Lakes Mobile Park 2809 Lakewood Road, Arlington Shady Glen Mobile Park 4620 164th St. SW, Lynnwood Sherwood Village 3504 Seattle Hill Road, Snohomish Snug Harbor Mobile Park 4425 Meridian Ave. N., Marysville Thomas Place Mobile Park 12922 39th Ave. SE, Everett Three Rivers Mobile Park 13201 Elliott Road, Snohomish Thunderbird Mobile Estates 19330 Winesap Road, Bothell Trails End Mobile Park 13000 17th Ave. W., Everett Twin Creek Mobile Park 1615 208th St. SE, Bothell Village Green 12605 E. Gibson Road, Everett Wallace River Mobile Park 36010 U.S. 2, Sultan Warm Beach Estates 20505 Marine Drive NW, Stanwood Westburg Mobile Park 15905 Highway 99 S, Lynnwood   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, April 28, 2008 Snohomish County orders reprieve for mobile home parks Snohomish County has made it temporarily harder to redevelop in a bid to save cheap housing. By Jeff Switzer Herald Writer In an effort to preserve some of Snohomish County's last available affordable and senior housing, the County Council stepped in to make it difficult for property owners to redevelop any of more than 50 mobile home parks. The council unanimously approved temporary zoning changes for existing mobile home parks in unincorporated areas of the county. The council declared an emergency so the rules could go into effect immediately. The move buys policymakers six months to head off what they called a crisis in affordable housing. The pace and scale of mobile home park closures in the county is growing, sending thousands of people scrambling to relocate, council members said. "We've had quite an outcry from the residents of these parks essentially being forced out," County Council chairman Dave Somers said. "When people are being essentially evicted daily, we thought we needed a time out for a long-term strategy." While the tenants own their homes, they face being displaced because they don't own the land beneath them. Moving a mobile home on a fixed income isn't an affordable option for many. Three mobile home parks in the county face closure this year, including Mariner Village in south Everett, Penny Lane near Snohomish and Manor Heights in Lynnwood. The three have 230 mobile homes, with the most -- 165 spaces and about 250 people -- at Mariner Village. The surprise vote by the council last week was condemned by members of the lobbying group representing mobile home park owners. They vowed to work to reverse the council's action. Property values for these parks likely took a hit because of the council's change in the rules, said Ken Spencer, executive director of the Manufactured Housing Communities of Washington, an Olympia-based group that represents 500 mobile home park owners. "We don't think this is a proper way to address the problem of affordable housing," Spencer said. "The council is trying to solve it by imposing the burden on one class of property owner. Affordable housing is a society-wide problem. We should all share the burden in solving it." Private mobile home park owners have bankrolled affordable housing for decades, Spencer said. Park owners have watched their land increase in value as the region boomed, and redevelopment as apartments, condos or shops would prove more lucrative than collecting rent from mobile home tenants. Under the county's previous zoning rules, mobile home park owners could apply to redevelop their land depending on what land-use zone the property was in. Many mobile home parks in the county are on land zoned for commercial or high-density residential housing. The council's decision puts a new zoning classification on mobile home parks. In order to redevelop, property owners now must apply for a rezone through the county hearing examiner and the County Council. Some tenants felt the vote means the council was listening to their concerns. A year ago, mobile home advocacy groups pushed for a moratorium on mobile home park conversions. "Hopefully, it's going to encourage people not to put their houses on the market and sell at panic prices," said Russell Carter president of the Mariner Village Mobile Home Park tenant's organization. Mariner Village, a 165-space seniors-only park in south Everett, is planned to close at the end of August if residents can't come up with $25 million to buy the park from its current owner. "It gives us some hope that things are going to turn around," Carter said. The council asked for County Executive Aaron Reardon's office to create a work plan by June 25 that analyzes and recommends improvements in the county's stock of affordable housing. County Councilman Mike Cooper sponsored the emergency rules. "This is the first important step to making sure that our seniors and our low-income people in this county have a place to live that they can afford that does not, quite frankly, require taxpayer subsidies," Cooper said. Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.

1. Explosion advance with win 2. Arrest in nude "sexting" photos of Arlington teen 3. One fire rips through $2 million home, another chars Jetty Island 4. Everett man found guilty in grandfather's fatal beating 5. Jetty Island firefight continues; hot weather increases fire dangers 6. Snohomish County cops spend summer trying to root out gangs 7. New York man indicted in Blue Stilly Smoke Shop case 8. Everett student jailed in pornography, voyeurism case 9. Fireworks sellers hope it's a 'backyard' Fourth 10. Local hoops star Love on hunt for a free ride 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Warriors looking for balance • Three Scots vying for QB slot • Jackson looks for another title • Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer • City Council reviewing sign regulations • Wildcats get a peek at newcomers • Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode • Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt • Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge • Trading dollars for kilowatts New PUD energy conservation programs save ... • By John Wolcott SCBJ Editor • Record crowd at Paine Field’s General Aviation Day as FHC Celebrate ... • Celebration of aviation's history and future presented in multiple venue ... • The time is ripe for small businesses to take no prisoners • EPA proposal to regulate global-warming gases would be costly for small ... • Innovation helps the town of Forks to offset tough economy • Powering the people