De Kalb County, Illinois purchased to close “flood prone” Evergreen Village Mobile Home Park in Sycamore, the Daily Chronicle tells MHProNews. “I don’t have much of a choice, because we’re in a flood plain and I can’t fix houses,” the property owner, Frank Santoro said. “I have to accept what they are going to give me.”
The county reportedly paid $1.47 million for the property, which happens to be near Sycamore Golf Course, a community park, Sycamore Family Sports Center and a neighborhood with multifamily rentals, as shown in the first photo.
About 120 mobile or manufactured homes (MH) were once sited on the closing property. One of those families included Robert Baird’s, who was adamant that his family stay in Sycamore, even though they have to move out of Evergreen Village. But dozens of prior residents have had to leave the area, in search of new housing options.
Superintendent Kathy Countryman said 24 students who attended North Grove school last year moved out of the district, their families going to places like De Kalb or Rochelle.
County leaders secured $7.1 million in state and federal emergency management grants to buy the property, relocate its residents, and return it to open space by June 30. That’s an average cost per household of some $59,166.
As of Monday, the county bought 114 out of 121 mobile homes in Evergreen, according to Paul Miller, county planning, zoning and building director. “We’re focused on helping people find homes,” Miller stated, adding that, “We’re satisfied with those numbers [of closed purchases,] but it’s no time to sit back. We’re going to keep working.”
Numerous questions ought to be raised in studying a “park closure” such as Evergreen Village, including the impact on residents and was this the best use of taxpayer’s money in the light of a growing affordable housing needs nationwide in the U.S..
Certainly NIMBY – ‘not in my back yard’ – is commonly cited as a factor for nearby home owners as they view affordable housing. As manufactured housing professionals know, all other forms of permanent housing are more costly than modern MH. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the costs for conventional construction are roughly double that of manufactured homes. And as Manufactured Home Living News readers know, modern manufactured homes feature energy savings, more durability and appeal as well as lower costs. ##
(Photo credits: Google Streetviews and Danielle Guerra, Shaw Media)
