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Board hears that manufactured-home parks and Swannanoa were hit hardest; members raise equity concerns
Summary
Committee members and staff said manufactured-home parks and Swannanoa experienced severe damage in the storm; members voiced concern that legacy communities of color are disproportionately located in flood-prone areas and asked about relocation and incentives.
Multiple board members raised questions about the storm’s disproportionate impacts on legacy and marginalized neighborhoods, and staff acknowledged that manufactured-home parks and parts of Swannanoa were among the hardest-hit areas. A board member said many home parks were heavily damaged and asked what could be done to relocate those communities to higher ground.
The floodplain manager noted challenges including ownership, tenancy and the titling of manufactured homes, and said buyouts and elevation programs are options but that property owners and tenants face complex legal and financial barriers. Board members also debated whether longstanding housing patterns have left communities of color in more flood-prone locations; one member said those communities had been zoned into vulnerable land, while another disputed that characterization and said limited land availability was part of the explanation.
