The AlvinSun reports the Alvin,Texas City Council heard representatives from 23 manufactured home communities request extensions of the five-year manufactured home ordinance variance that ended Dec. 31, 2012, with requirements they have not yet met. Because of not meeting the five year ordinance deadline to begin with, most of the variance requests were denied. The sheer volume of the requests required the council to meet three nights in a row. Initially, the council had given the MHCs until July 15, 2013 to close and evict all residents for non-compliance, but decided to extend the deadline for compliance to July 15, and then close the communities that are not meeting the new deadline. The 77 requests for variances dealt with widening of internal streets, finishing drainage work, installing fire hydrants, fixing fencing and walkways, paving and striping streets, and providing dumpster pads. While the council did close one community, several community representatives said they could not afford to make the upgrades by the deadline. As MHProNews has learned, because of not meeting the five year deadline to begin with, most of the variance requests were denied.
