LYNNWOOD — The Snohomish County Housing Authority, local elected officials, residents and the landowner are discussing ways to retain two mobile home parks as affordable housing before residents are forced out by redevelopment.
Housing authority executive director Bob Davis said there is a possibility that the Housing Authority or another nonprofit organization can buy the land from the landowner.
“It is possible,” he said. “The big issue will be what the cost of the parks will be and what resources are available to do the purchase and maintain the pad rents as affordable. These are very valuable pieces of property.”
The Housing Authority owns Thomas Place mobile home park near Mill Creek.
Lynnwood developer Mike Echelbarger on March 31 bought the adjoining parks, The Squire, 4515 176th St. SW, and Kingsbury East, 17408 44th Ave. W.
Echelbarger has offered to sell the two parks to residents if they can come up with the money in the next few months. He met with housing authority officials on Wednesday, after the Enterprise’s deadline.
Kingsbury East, at 5.55 acres, is assessed by Snohomish County at more than $2 million. The Squire, at 5.27 acres, is assessed at more than $1.8 million.
Otherwise, Echelbarger said he will pursue building a new single family neighborhood on the site. By state law, he must give residents official notice and at least 12 months to leave.
“We are working all angles,” Echelbarger said
Echelbarger turned in a development application to city officials Monday. As proposed, the “Brentwood Park” development would feature 69 single family detached houses on almost 11 acres, according to city records. The majority of the lots range from 4,000 square feet to 5,500 square feet in size while the five remaining lots range between roughly 6,400 square feet and 9,200 square feet.
About 150 mobile home park residents Tuesday evening expressed their concerns and frustrations to elected officials and Echelbarger, said Frank Cheeney, a resident of Kingsbury East. Lynnwood City Council members Ted Hikel, Mark Smith and Lisa Utter; County councilman Gary Nelson; and Sen. Paull Shin, Rep. Brian Sullivan and Rep. Mary Helen Roberts, who all represent Lynnwood and Edmonds, attended.
“(The elected officials) all committed to looking into the issue and see what could be done. Unfortunately that does not solve anything,” Cheeney said.
Residents are forming a group, known as the Save Our Seniors (S.O.S.) Home Owners Association, in response to the situation, said Cheeney.
“We are trying to calm down and understand what is all going on,” said Cheeney. “We are hoping we can do something so we don’t have to give up our homes and have some dignity out of the whole thing — whatever that means.”
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