MOBILE-HOME PARKS: County proposal draws out fears By K.C. HOWARD Walter Zumbrennen, who lives in Villa Borega Mobile Home Park, watched last year as one mobile-home park after another shut down near Lake Mead and Nellis boulevards. Like many mobile-home tenants in Clark County, he fears that his park will be the next to close He joined 80 or so mobile-home park tenants, park owners and politicians at a public forum Monday night to discuss a proposed 18-month moratorium on zoning changes for such parks in Clark County. A second meeting will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. today at the Winchester Community Center, near Sahara Avenue and McLeod Drive. The most affordable housing in Clark County is vanishing as land values escalate and mobile-home parks are rezoned to be turned into more profitable developments of condos and single-family homes. Supporters argue the moratorium would allow time to seek ways to help tenants find alternative affordable housing or entice park owners not to convert and to keep rent low. Park owners have opposed the moratorium, calling it a violation of their property rights. The Clark County Commission is expected to take action on March 22. "We have to find out if there are legal impediments to the moratorium," said County Commissioner Myrna Williams, who proposed it. "Second, we need to try and negotiate and try and get better cooperation from park owners in terms of helping these people out." She is up for re-election this year, and her challenger, Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, was present to tell audience members their commissioners could be allocating lands for affordable housing. A colleague, Assemblyman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, agreed and said the county had slated 10 acres in his district for a jail that should be public housing. "Tell the truth Mark," Williams shouted from the audience. "He's politicking for his friend," Williams said as she left the forum, saying the proposed jail was not true. "This is a very serious meeting about serious problems facing people," she told a reporter. Williams returned later for the rest of the meeting. Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, spoke in favor of the moratorium to give parties time to work out more solutions. About 140 mobile-home parks exist in Clark County or 19,000 spaces, said Marolyn Mann, who leads the Nevada Manufactured Home Community Owners Association. "It's pretty hard running a mobile-home park community. There's lots of laws on the books," she said. She represents park owners who have about 11,000 spaces in the county and said they need less restrictive laws on park owners and zoning changes. "We'd have more built if we could get some encouragement and some incentives," she said, Since 2000, 16 mobile home parks in Clark County have closed, the State Division of Manufactured Housing reports. This year, three parks have given notice they plan to close. "I just would like to know what's going to happen to my mortgage," said Karen Currier, who said her park has given notice it plans to close. Under state law, park owners must pay for tenants to move, up to 50 miles, to another park or pay the tenant fair market value for the mobile home. Currier said she would still owe thousands of dollars on her home if that happens. Jeanne Parrett, a resident and manager at Eldorado Estates, said the proposed moratorium "is bull." She suggested the county create zones specifically for affordable housing in areas people want to live. County officials discussed the possibility of securing land for a mobile home park through the Bureau of Land Management and state subsidies for developers. But Parrett said much of the BLM land is on the outskirts of the county, too far of a commute for most mobile home park residents, many of whom work on the Strip. She speculated her park could get $600 million for its 40 acres. She asked: "If someone came in and offered you $600 million, what would you do?" If you are planning to relocate in the Las Vegas area, contact us for a prompt response to any questions you have about the Las Vegas real estate market. We invite you to visit our website to view updated daily listings of Las Vegas homes at Free Las Vegas Homes MLS Search |
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