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Poulsbo residents ask council to protect manufactured-home parks; staff schedules off-site meeting
Summary
Residents of Viking Park and other manufactured-home communities urged Poulsbo council to adopt protections and a moratorium while staff develops a preservation overlay; city staff scheduled an off-site meeting to discuss concerns and next steps.
Several Poulsbo residents urged the City Council on Jan. 8 to take steps to preserve manufactured-home communities as part of the city’s affordable-housing strategy.
"Please consider a moratorium on mobile home park redevelopment in our city while a protection overlay ordinance is being developed and approved," said resident Irene Bowie, who identified herself as a member of the Washington Association of Manufactured Homeowners and a Viking Park resident. Bowie told the council the park contains 89 owner-occupied homes with values she estimated in the "$200,000 range," and emphasized that many residents, especially older households, cannot practically move if a park is redeveloped.
A second Viking Park resident identified as Gene repeated that manufactured homes are typically set in place and not practically movable, and urged the council to consider the manufactured-home-park-only overlay used in other Washington cities to restrict conversion. Heidi Heckman, reading for another resident, cited industry practices and private-equity concerns, quoting a widely discussed industry remark and saying residents are vulnerable to rent increases and reduced upkeep.
City staff responded in the workshop portion that an off-site meeting has been scheduled for the coming Sunday specifically to discuss mobile-home-park concerns and the city’s role, and staff invited council members and stakeholders to participate. Kim Hendrickson, who presented later in the workshop, described a related regional STEP-housing planning grant that the city, Bainbridge Island and Kitsap County pursued and said the city intends to develop an RFP for a needs assessment and prioritization plan to help guide future funding and zoning decisions.
Council members asked staff to ensure that the study and any outreach include prevention and supportive services for residents at risk of displacement and that tribal partners be invited. The exchange closed with staff recommending follow-up briefings and a community meeting to shape next steps.
