Brandonale residents ask Chaska leaders to back manufactured‑housing bill, cite safety and maintenance failures

Sherry Myers, an organizing leader with the Brandonale Residents Association, told the City of Chaska council Monday that residents of the manufactured‑home park face repeated utility shutoffs, nonworking street lights, dangerous trees and threats of eviction after the park’s acquisition by Haven Park Capital Investments.

Myers said residents were notified after the sale and have since seen lot‑rent increases and maintenance problems. “We need your support to stay in our homes so we can stay your neighbors, workers, customers, and friends,” she told the council during the public‑comment portion of the meeting.

Myers described frequent water and power outages, broken street lights, collapsing garages originally built before federal HUD standards and tree failures that she said endanger homes and public safety. She and other residents told the council that lot rents for longtime residents have risen to more than $700 a month and that newer residents face lot rents exceeding $1,000, limiting homeowners’ ability to obtain mortgages or relocate their older homes.

Mayor Taylor Hubbard and city staff said they have met with residents and with state and regional contacts. City staff reported they coordinated a meeting with about 15 Minnesota cities to share experiences and form a working group to prepare legislative proposals for the upcoming session. City staff also said they have communicated with the Minnesota Attorney General’s office and that local code and safety tools are limited for privately owned parks.

Matt Hafner, identified in the meeting as Chaska’s water and sewer superintendent, referenced repeated utility interruptions in the park and said staff are concerned about fire‑safety access and dry hydrants during outages. Hubbard said the city will advocate on behalf of residents and coordinate with the working group formed by municipal administrators.

Myers urged the council and residents to support HF2381 and SF2691, bills she described as a “manufactured housing bill of rights,” and to press state lawmakers for authority to address safety, maintenance and tenancy concerns in park‑owned infrastructure. She asked elected officials and the public to contact legislators and to treat manufactured‑home park issues as an issue that affects the broader community’s workforce, customers and public safety.

Council members invited residents to document incidents and said they would work with staff to follow up, encourage the park owner to make repairs and to participate in the multi‑city working group drafting legislative options. Council members also offered to tour the park at night to see street‑lighting failures.

Myers and several residents urged stronger enforcement tools and faster remedies when safety matters arise; city officials said some authority can be exercised via fire‑safety and emergency access requirements but that many landlord–tenant and maintenance powers are governed at the state level and may require new legislation.

The discussion closed with city leaders agreeing to pursue coordinated municipal advocacy and to keep residents informed as the working group develops proposed legislative language ahead of the next legislative session.

The council did not adopt an ordinance or take a final legal action at the meeting; the outcome was a city commitment to coordinate, advocate and document the park’s safety and maintenance issues for legislative consideration.