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Lacey staff outline two‑track outreach plan to assess risks and preservation options for manufactured‑home parks
Summary
Staff reported about 12 manufactured‑home parks inside Lacey and another 16 in the urban growth area, described resident and financing vulnerabilities, summarized state tools (relocation assistance, two‑year notice on park sales, resident purchase opportunity) and noted rent‑stabilization limits in House Bill 1217; staff proposed separate owner and resident engagement and will return with recommendations.
City staff presented a local engagement plan Jan. 23 to understand and preserve manufactured‑home communities after outlining park counts, risks and recent state policy changes.
"Within the city of Lacey, we have a total of 12 manufactured home parks, and then the UGA gives us another 16," Jennifer Adams, housing coordinator, said as she opened the module of the briefing focused on parks and preservation.
Staff emphasized that manufactured‑home communities often house vulnerable populations: many residents own their homes but not the land under them, financing for manufactured homes can be more limited and costly than for conventional homes, and moving older units can be prohibitively expensive. That tenure model and market pressures can make parks vulnerable to redevelopment.
Adams summarized several state tools: a Department of Commerce relocation assistance program for residents, an expanded notice requirement when parks are put up for sale (a two‑year notice window), and provisions that create a window of time for residents to mobilize and attempt to raise funds to acquire a park. Adams also briefed the council on House Bill 1217, which includes limits on annual rent increases for manufactured‑home parks, noting a typical cap described in the briefing as 5% per year for communities covered by that statute.
The staff proposal calls for a two‑track engagement approach: continued resident outreach (surveys and possibly a wrap‑up open house to "close the loop") and targeted engagement with park owners (phone interviews or in‑person meetings). Staff said owner outreach may be more challenging and that staff currently rely on county records and mailings to contact owners.
Council members explored preservation options, including resident ownership cooperatives and zoning mechanisms such as a "mobile home zone" that would require a buyer to continue operating a property as a manufactured‑home park. Staff highlighted ROC Northwest (Resident Owned Communities Northwest) as a model and said ROC provides acquisition and long‑term technical support in other locales.
Deputy Mayor (presiding) and council members asked staff to bring additional information and to invite agencies or organizations with experience in resident purchase models to a future work session. Staff said they aim to gather more information and return with policy options and next steps for potential preservation strategies.
Next steps: staff will move forward with resident and owner outreach as outlined in the engagement plan and return with findings and potential policy options for council consideration.
