Noozhawk tells MHProNews.com the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission in California is considering an ordinance that would require MHC owners to file for a closure permit if they are selling their community, and to pay all residents market value for their homes. Commissioner C. Michael Cooney says the measure is not to prevent the land from being sold, but to smooth the relocation process for the residents. There are 20 land lease communities (LLCs) in the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara housing thousands of people. State law allows local jurisdictions to manage community closures and mandate reasonable relocation costs. Homeowners claim they should receive fair market prices for their dwellings because homes more than four years old are unlikely to be moved at all. Community owners respond that paying market value for each manufactured home would make selling the land nearly impossible. Derek Watson, attorney for La Cumbre Mobile Home Park, says La Cumbre loses millions of dollars because of rent control. He says the commissioners should consider methods to build and maintain MHCs instead of making it more costly for the owners.

(Photo credit: Giana Magnoli/Noozhawk–Santa Barbara County Planning Commission)