Sumner council reviews manufactured‑home‑park overlay to preserve parks; refers changes to committee

Sumner City Council on Sept. 8 reviewed a proposed zoning code text amendment to establish a manufactured‑home‑park overlay meant to preserve existing parks and reduce displacement of mobile‑home residents, Development Director Ryan Windisch told council.

Windisch said the proposal implements policies from the 2024 comprehensive plan and responds to state guidance under the Growth Management Act and House Bill 1220 that requires cities to consider minimizing displacement of vulnerable populations during redevelopment. “So there are about 260 mobile home sites in Sumner,” he told council, and the ordinance targets three parks in the city’s inventory so those sites remain available as manufactured‑home parks unless the owner successfully pursues a legal exception.

Key points of the proposed amendment presented to council: • The overlay would apply to existing manufactured‑home parks (three of four parks in Sumner are listed as affected); future parks would be exempt. • An owner may apply for a use exception; the standard would be reviewed by the city’s hearing examiner and requires a showing the restriction makes continued use economically unviable (a high legal bar described in the presentation as similar to a regulatory‑takings claim). • If a park closes, state law requires two years’ notice to tenants; if the owner seeks to sell, tenants must receive at least 70 days’ notice and have an opportunity to organize and bid to purchase the park. • The draft ordinance requires an owner to submit a relocation plan for director approval describing tenant rights and sources of assistance; staff noted that Seattle and Kent use forms of certification of compliance that require a director sign‑off before certain land‑use approvals proceed.

Councilors pressed staff on enforcement and on what protections tenants would actually receive. Several members asked whether the overlay would meaningfully preserve affordability versus merely delaying redevelopment, and whether the city could require a certification of compliance with a relocation plan. Windisch said the current draft asks for a relocation plan to be submitted and approved by the director and that the council could consider stronger language, including certification and formal sign‑off, if it wanted to add “teeth.”

Other details discussed in the session: Sumner’s four mobile‑home parks include one (Rainier Manor Mobile Home Park) with individually platted lots; the other parks have a single underlying landowner and tenant‑leased pads. State programs administered by the Washington Department of Commerce provide relocation assistance and legal services for displaced tenants, staff noted. Council discussion also referenced published examples of municipal language and the possibility that owners with substantial maintenance backlogs might try to make an economic‑viability claim to seek a use exception.

After extended discussion, Windisch recommended — and council agreed — that the item be deferred to the Community Development Committee for additional drafting and possible amendments (including potential certification language and clearer director responsibilities) before a formal ordinance is returned to the full council. No ordinance vote occurred at the study session.

The city will continue outreach to affected park owners and tenants and will bring a revised draft to the Community Development Committee for further council consideration.