North Carolina’s General Assembly gave substantial attention yesterday to a bill that would impact the fates of manufactured housing residents.

H1700, a bill sponsored by Susan Fisher that would provide a financial incentive to park owners to sell to resident or non-profit groups, made some progress in Judiciary II.  The bill was held up by its notice provision, which had stipulated that park owners should communicate in writing via US mail to each resident prior to a sale.

According to one MH industry leader, this triggers some concerns over property rights.

An alternative was put forward that only requires notice in the event of a change in use.  In other words, no notice is required if a park is sold to another private group that wants to maintain the park as is.  If a park owner wants to sell to a big box retailer, though, then a notice is required.

Advocates and industry express doubts about the difference that this would ultimately make — after all, no resident group is going to be able to match the kind of offer that a Wal-Mart of Home Depot could make for land that it would repurpose into a large commercial center.

No, a useful bill should probably preserve the notice provision for parks for exactly the opposite set of parks — those that are likely to remain in their current status.  These are the ones whose prices can reasonably be met by non-profits.  In North Carolina, that might be parks up to $2 million.

A new rezoning hearing data has been established to determine the fate of the 160 households living in Homestead Village Mobile Home Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Committee of the Whole, under the Raleigh Planning Commission, will meet at 9 am on Tuesday, July 1st, in the Municipal Building in Room 305.  The group will consider the merits of Rezoning application Z-006-08.

The zoning change would allow a proposal by a developer to build more than 1300 homes and an assortment of retail and commercial buildings on the 38 acre site, off of Capital Boulevard, near the 540 interchange.  Katherine and Robert Binns, owners of the park, filed the request for a zoning change on October 19th of last year.  The petitioners suggest that the region would benefit from a rezoning because a classification would provide the area with flexibility in the 4 types of land use (Shopping Center, O&I-2, Residential -4, and conservation management) that are otherwise “lacking in areas” .  They disagree with the notion that the development would cause significant impacts to traffic.

An initial analysis by the planning department suggests that the rezoning would create demand for an additional 599 seats in the area’s public schools.

A previous hearing was delayed pending a traffic impact study.

What happens when 1355 new homes replace a mid-sized MH Park? The City of Raleigh, and its public schools, may find out soon.

In the analysis of impacts, provided by the City of Oaks’ own planners, it emerges that rezoning the existing manufactured housing park will portend dramatic increases in the demand for schools:

The planning documents indicate that this rezoning would put an additional 599 new students in the area’s schools.  Those students would most likely enter primary, middle, and secondary schools that are all either currently overcrowded or that would become so.

Fox Road Elementary would get the largest share of additional students.  Currently holding about 800 students, the planners project that Fox Road grows to 1168 students.  That is 120 percent of maximum capacity.

Wake Forest Middle only grows by about 90 students, but since it is already enrolled beyond its capacity, the new zoning hardly makes sense.

Last, Wakefield High also gets another 100 students.  It has the same profile as Wake Forest Middle — already overcrowded.  Wakefield High draws students from Wakefield Plantation, the subdivision whose (more…)

This week, the City of Raleigh, North Carolina may approve a rezoning that would evict more than 160 families from Homestead Village Mobile Home Park.

The rezoning would clear the way for the redevelopment of the 38.58 acre site into a mixed use retail and residential site along Capital Boulevard, immediately north of 540.  Homestead Village is currently zoned for Manufactured housing and residential-4.  It can have as many as 230 homes, although it only has about 180 lots on the site.

The rezoning would allow the developer, who has not been identified publicly but is represented by attorney David York, to build 1,355 new residential units.  The submitted plan would allow a 30,000 square foot office building.

The City of Raleigh Planning Department notes that the plan is not consistent with the Capital Boulevard Corridor Plan.

The traffic impacts are significant.  Currently, there are no mass transit options in this area.  Having so many people using Capital Boulevard as their neighborhood thoroughfare makes little sense.  The plan would include a buffer as well as the construction of new access roads.

The 2020 Plan almost included a transit corridor for this area.  There is discussion now (by the Special Transit Advisory Commission) of making the area one of the chief priorities for transit spending in the 2035 plan.  This might include commuter rail and/or enhanced bus service.

A traffic impact analysis will not be prepared prior to the rezoning decision on May 21st.

Full details of the plan are available here.

Approximately 160 residents of Homestead Village Mobile Home Park may be evicted from their homes, if plans for rezoning by the Raleigh City Council bear fruit. The 38.5 acre site is located on prime real estate off of Capital Boulevard in North Raleigh.

The park is owned by Robert and Catherine Binns. Mr. Binns, 70, wants to sell because (more…)