Bossier City board denies request to keep manufactured home on Rolling Meadow Lane, orders 120 days for removal

Bossier City and Bossier Parish’s Board of Adjustments on Feb. 26 denied an application to retain a 24-by-60 manufactured home at 3314 Rolling Meadow Lane and voted to give the owner 120 days to remove it.

The board’s unanimous roll-call vote to deny the special-exception request followed public comment from neighbors who said the subdivision’s covenants and longtime residents’ expectations preclude manufactured homes. Daryl Jansz, who said he helped finance and develop the neighborhood decades ago, told the board the covenants did not allow mobile homes and asked that the request be denied to protect home values. Resident Rivers Breedlove, who lives adjacent to the property, warned allowing one trailer to stay could "open Pandora's box." Real-estate agent Steven Ham said mobile homes adjacent to site-built houses create stigma that can depress sale prices.

Applicant Cynthia Jelinek said the manufactured home was placed on the property under a caregiver permit in 2021 and renewed in 2023 while she cared for an ill resident; she said that resident died in January 2024 and that she had been told the permit remained valid until the next renewal date. Jelinek told the board she does not intend the trailer to be permanent and plans to build a traditional house when financially able.

Staff told the board that caregiver permits are time-limited and require recertification every two years "to protect neighboring property owners' expectations under subdivision covenants." After board discussion, a motion to deny the special exception carried on a roll call: Charles Davis (yes), Megan Davis (yes), Suzette Hadden (yes), Carrie Landry (yes), Tim Willihan (yes) and Michael Vircher (yes).

Following the denial, the board voted to allow 120 days (four months) for removal of the manufactured home so the owner could arrange relocation. The board asked staff to work with the owner on logistics and compliance.

Next procedural steps: the denial and the 120-day removal period are recorded in the board minutes; enforcement timelines and follow-up are handled by staff. The applicant may pursue other lawful avenues consistent with subdivision covenants and local permitting rules.