Everett staff proposes new manufactured‑home‑community zone, plans to remove century‑old park rules

Lisonbee Wetzel, long range planning manager for the City of Everett, told the Parks and Built Environment Committee on Nov. 12 that staff will propose a new, standalone manufactured‑home‑community zone for the city’s existing mobile and manufactured home parks, not an overlay applied over other zones.

Wetzel said staff are not changing park densities and ‘‘if the pad is vacant, they can replace on that pad,’’ but they are not increasing allowable units per acre. ‘‘We are not doing an overlay. It will be a zone for itself,’’ she said.

Wetzel said staff mailed letters to owners, managers and known residents of manufactured‑home parks; she reported hearing from one park owner who asked whether a removed unit could be replaced on a one‑for‑one basis, and said the proposed code would permit such a replacement. Wetzel also said she attended neighborhood meetings at Fairway Estates and with Silver Lake residents and that she heard ‘‘overwhelming support’’ from residents for creating the underlying manufactured‑home‑community zoning designation.

Staff told the committee they will present the package to the Planning Commission as soon as December (subject to the commission’s schedule) and expect to bring the ordinance to the City Council in January. Wetzel said one element of the package will be to remove the existing Everett Municipal Code chapter that governs manufactured‑home parks: ‘‘we will be presenting when we come forward is to delete chapter 17.28,’’ she said, noting that much of that chapter (setbacks, entrance widths, hookups and a $20 annual park fee) is not currently enforced.

The briefing also examined how the city’s proposal intersects with state rules and market forces. Wetzel said state code determines which types of units qualify as manufactured homes and that units meeting state regulations would be permitted. On affordability concerns she said most residents own their unit but not the land beneath it, and that rising pad rents have eroded homeowners’ asset values. ‘‘They’ve capped the amount that the rent can go up per annum to 5%,’’ Wetzel said of recent state limits, but she added that ‘‘if a new person buys the unit, they are able to do a one‑time increase’’ and staff have heard onetime rent increases ‘‘anywhere from 100 to 200%.’’

Committee members raised questions about 55+ community rules and whether park covenants (CCRs) control exceptions such as younger live‑in caregivers; Wetzel said those are handled in CCRs and are not set by the city’s zoning change. Several members also flagged private‑equity purchases of parks as a market driver behind recent rent and ownership dynamics; one member recommended reading the book Plunder to understand private‑equity’s role.

No formal action or vote was taken; staff will continue outreach (including additional mailings and public hearings) and return to the Planning Commission and the City Council for formal consideration and public comment.