Mobile-home owners may get help

Residents of a Millcreek mobile home park facing escalating rents and eventual eviction may get a reprieve from the Salt Lake County Council.

The council has decided to meet behind closed doors next week to discuss a six-month moratorium on any rezone or conditional use permits on land occupied by mobile homes. The delay would ideally give the council members time to find a way to either preserve the affordable housing provided by the Parkhill Mobile Home Estates or help the residents relocate to similarly priced housing.

One option could be using county housing funds to assist residents financially in finding a new residence, Councilman Steve Harmsen said. While he acknowledged that the residents have been offered $1,500 from the current owners for relocation costs, he said much more needs to be done. By way of example, he noted that a similar situation in Sandy two years ago was resolved after both the city and the property owner gave $5,000 each to residents.

"There is an opportunity for everyone to have a positive outcome," he said. "But $1,500 will not do it."

The moratorium would be needed because the property owner has already filed a application to rezone the property so that a condominium complex can be built, and residents have been given a deadline of Sept. 1 to move. Additionally, the rent for each of the 29 mobile home lots will escalate by 50 percent, from $200 to $300, in August.

Councilman Joe Hatch said that the plight of the residents is a concern not only because of their specific situation, but for the overall treatment mobile home owners face in the parks where they generally rent land.

"They are an important housing option, and they are practically disappearing as a housing option in Salt Lake County," he said.

Donald Saulnier, chairman of the Utah Mobile Home Owners Association Action Group, echoed the fear that Parkhill's dilemma illustrates a growing problem. His group helped pass state legislation this year that gives mobile home owners more rights when dealing with their landlords.

"Land is becoming more valuable for condos and other things," he said. "We are afraid this will happen in other places."

Resident Tamara Peterson, who spoke for the residents, said some of the mobile homes are too old to be moved. For those that can, none of the owners could afford the costs, which run as high as $8,000. Plus, homeowners would have to pay higher rents and make improvements to meet community bylaws.

"We would like to have our park, first and foremost," Peterson said. "But moving is not an option because the costs are so high."

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