In Fayetteville, Arkansas, a manufactured home community is scheduled to see its sunset – and community officials say that it’s a disturbing trend that’s affecting affordable housing across the nation.

According to NWA Online, the City Council approved a rezoning proposal from Dallas based real estate investors and developers Tait Coates and Tommy Kilbride, that will allow re-development of the nine acres.

 

The Niblock family, owners of the land since the late 70’s, said it’s time.

“The property has passed its life expectancy,” said George Niblock Jr.

“Residents own their homes and pay about $250 per month to rent their lot, but several owe back rent.”

Niblock said that he also understands that the development will displace residents, but he and the new landowners will be working to make the transition as smooth as possible.

“For a few of them, it’s going to be painful. There’s no perfect answer for it,” said Niblock.

“We’re going to work with them directly,” said Coates. “We will keep an open dialogue with all of the tenants.”

City planning staff sees the area as ripe for development, in part because of its vicinity to the University of Arkansas, and a mix of commercial and residential development is in line with the city’s infill goals.

 

Challenges, Authority, Stigma

With redevelopment, comes the challenge of a loss of affordable housing, which is a major goal of the city’s 2030 plan.

Prior to approval for the rezoning, the Fayetteville Planning Commission asked council members to address the issue of gentrification in some way.

City Attorney Kit Williams told the council that the city has limited authority and a landowner can utilize their property as they see fit, as long as they follow the zoning rules and lease agreements with residents.

“I don’t know how we could do that [deal with the issue of gentrification] without taking away some of the property interest rights of the landlord and probably having to pay him for it,” said Williams.

“There’s not anything I’m aware of, especially no ordinances we might have that would do anything that would be able to slow down what the landlord might be wanting to do.”

Williams also says that he’s seen the trend of communities disappearing over the years.

“Trailer parks [sic] have disappeared throughout town with no proposals to replace them. I think this is due to rising property value within the city limits and the deteriorating nature of a manufactured home’s value,” said Williams.

City planning director Andrew Garner sees the issue as well.

“I can’t recall in a dozen years with the city a single instance of a developer wanting to build a trailer park [sic],” said Garner.

“A resident could place a mobile home [sic] on his property if it’s zoned as a Residential Agricultural district, but a trailer park [sic] requires a multi-family zoning, and even then it would only be allowed as a conditional use.”

A part of that challenge is in the stereotypes that persist.

“The trend in Fayetteville mimics what’s been happening nationally,” said MHI spokeswoman Patti Boerger.

“The country hasn’t seen many new manufactured home communities developed in the past couple decades, but landowners with several acres sometimes place mobile homes on their properties. Manufactured and mobile homes today run the gamut of floor plans and typically are made with the same materials as on-site homes, all at far lower a cost.”

Boerger shared that tiny homes have also become more popular, but Kevin Hawks, owner of Hawks Homes, sees them as a fad.

“They attract attention, but usually once customers do the math they figure they can get a better value with a single-wide trailer [sic],” said Hawks.

“You can drive through anywhere in east Arkansas and you can still see the old metal siding and metal roofs with tires on top to keep the roof from rumbling — what I call a trailer house [sic]. That is not what we build. I don’t even build metal-siding, metal-roof houses anymore. But, a lot of people have that stigma.”

For some members of the Fayetteville City Council, manufactured housing represents the solution to affordable housing.

“It does offer home ownership to individuals who otherwise may not be able to afford it,” said Alderman Mark Kinion.

“As long as it meets codes and standards and as long as it is compatible.”

For more on the myths and facts surrounding manufactured housing, and the opportunity for millions to achieve the American Dream of home ownership, click here. ##

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Submitted by RC Williams to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.