Thread by @shayshinecastle

Hello, #Boulder. Covering council tonight with a heavy heart. Kevin Kaufman's beautiful service was today, and more cuts at the Camera were announced after that. Feeling the pain for all my friends still there.

But, as they say, the show must go on.

Tonight's study session is a look at Boulder's mobile home strategy: boulderbeat.news/2019/02/24/mob…

And then a discussion over some proposals for the Human Relations Commission, including lowering the voting age to 16, opening local elections to non-citizens, and expanding sentence enhancements for hate crimes boulderbeat.news/2019/02/24/cou…

There is a translator here tonight. Only the third(?) time I've seen one since I started covering the meetings.

Kurt Firnhaber, director of housing and human services, starts his presentation as always with the story of a real-life story. Isabel Sanchez, board president of the Mapleton Homeowners Association. Four of her children own mobile homes in the park, in addition to Isabel herself.

Manufactured housing, or manufactured homes, is the preferred nomenclature. I will probably mix things up just to keep them fresh, but thought you should know what the standard reference is.

Jeff Yeigan, senior project manager for housing dept: "We are not proposing to do any of these workplan items in the next couple of months," but rather more study so that costs and other details can be known.

The BVCP has had priorities for mobile home communities since 2000, to preserve and create manufactured housing.

2.8% of Boulder's housing stock is manufactured housing. About 1,300 units.

The four parks in city limits are nearly 100% occupied. "It's been that way since I can remember," says Crystal Launder, housing planner.

Here's a little breakdown:
Boulder Meadows: 1970; 633 homes (514 owned; 119 rented) 26% pre-1976
Mapleton: 1961; 135 (all owned; 120 permanently affordable) 61% pre-1976
Orchard Grove: 1963; 216 (all owned) 69% pre-1976
Vista Village: 1968; 302 (all owned) 29% pre-1976

Here's why pre-1976 matters: It's before HUD started enforcing certain standards. Pre-1976 trailers are banned from some parks (though Boulder has some protections around that), which render them really not that mobile.

Lot rents at Boulder's mobile home parks have been increasing faster than apartment rents: 4.2% annually, on average, vs. 4% for apartments, according to city data. (Over what time isn't clear) Avg lot rent $725-$800.

Q from Cindy Carlisle about Boulder's protections for residents against retaliation from landlords. (How is it enforced?) I hear from my contacts that this is still a major problem at parks.

Answer is kind of all over the place: code enforcement, mandatory mediation.
Carlisle asks it again: "I think in terms of putting teeth into some of these items that we've heard about, that would be.... " good, I think was the last word

Tom Carr: "Like most of our code enforcement, it's complaint-based."
Something for council to consider is "whether or not we want to provide dedicated resources" to be more proactive.

Boulder expects the state to increase protections for mobile home residents this year. "It hasn't been drafted yet; it's in the works," Crystal Laudner said.
Including.... a bill to overturn the state ban on rent control.

Launder*

City met with 100+ park residents, plus owners and managers. Lots of feedback on concerns such as failing infrastructure, rising rents, and challenges to mobile home ownership. Many suggestions of things the city could help with.

Boulder's workplan items fall under three values: Affordability, viability and community. "Parks if they do not operate in a financially viable way," they will cease to operate, says Yegian.

Yegian: "We heard loud and clear that each of these parks provides a really strong community, an opportunity to live in ways that other communities don't." Residents value their neighbors.

One thing that came out of feedback was a "desire" for better relationships between park owners and residents. Rising lot rents, failing pipes, retaliation... gee, I wonder why the relationship isn't going well.

Five suggestions for council priorities:
1. Pad rent stabilization
2. Infrastructure
3. Energy efficiency
4. Land use code
5. Licensing of parks

"Many paths" for keeping infrastructure in good shape, or replacing it. Doesn't really go into detail.

City wants to explore alternatives to eviction for residents.

Staff is shooting to return back to council on July 16 with specific actions.

Weaver q: What fraction of homes are rental v. ownership in Boulder Meadows?
20%, Yegian says

Some chatter about what actions Boulder can take that will allow them more leverage over park owners to provide better conditions.

Carlisle: "Lack of maintenance for infrastructure has been passed onto residents." (Silent applause from the audience.) That's the kind of thing we want to address.

Morzel on changing park regulations to allow solar panels: I put solar panels on my house; ppl should be able to put solar panels on their house (mobile homes) "It's an equity thing."

Council woman Mary Young is not here; Weaver reading her qs and suggestions now. He mentions that the state is looking into expanding how long residents have to vacate the premise after eviction. It's ridiculously short: 48 hours or so. Not enough time to sell/move a trailer.

Morzel referencing Orchard Grove's owners, who didn't post notices in Spanish during/after a recent weeklong water outage. Can Boulder require that, she asks?
Carr: Could be done at a local level, but wants to do more research.

Brockett: Maybe that can be part of a licensing program, or maybe we just do an ordinance.

Jones: Another thing that came out of that was that park owners didn't have good way to contact everyone. "They didn't have emails, they didn't have phone numbers...." Wants to make that process "much more rigorous."

Weaver: It needs to be "clear to owners of facilities that we’re going to have expectations we want to advance." (The ordeal at Orchard Grove), "what that tells us about all of our mobile home parks. Accountability (is) what residents are really asking for."

Morzel: "Ppl feel like they pay their rent; they pay their mortgage at their homes. They have certain expectations. If we’re not going to hold owners or managers accountable, where are ppl supposed to go?"

Also says park owners are telling residents not to contact city council. "Every resident" has that right.

Jones wants to just add Accountability as a principle in the strategy: We need to send the message to our residents that we have their backs. And to owners that we expect more.

Weaver sharing Young's comments. "This is about reciprocity." Lot rents pay into city water/sewer but they don't often get benefits.
What are they getting in exchange for 4% lot rent increases every year, he asks?

Morzel suggests water metering, bc residents don't often know how much water they are using. Silent applause from residents in the audience.

More Young comments: Concern about gentrification. Vigorous head nodding from residents in the audience.
In the packet, their feedback was that retired doctors and professors were moving in and then travelling most of the year, eroding the sense of community.

Weaver and Brockett saying there should be more research on rent stabilization, just in case the state's attempts to overturn rent control ban don't come through.
"Love to hear your ideas," Brockett says to staff.

"We've heard interesting ideas from owners/residents for incentivizing" that, Ritenour says.

Morzel asks staff to expand upon the idea that the city trade infrastructure upgrades to rent stabilization.
Not a lot more detail on that right now; Yegian just says it needs to be explored.

Weaver is the second to call for metering.
Jones: Everybody in the city is entitled to basic infrastructure being provided. If a park owner is tasked with that and fails, there has got to be some mechanism that ensures thus. Surely they are obligated to meet those basic services.

Weaver: Rent stabilization, infrastructure and licensing are the most important priorities. "Those are the basics."

Although energy efficiency is taking a lower priority for council, Morzel thinks the city should look at ways to help residents maintain skirting around their trailers, which helps efficiency but also keeps the pipes from freezing and becoming more vulnerable to breaks.

Morzel wants a mobile home park at the Boulder muni airport.
Interesting....

"Our airport is 130 acres" and serves 200 ppl, she says. "I won't be here when we get to talk about it, but I really do hope you remember that.”

Jones: If we want to do licensing, how soon can you get us an ordinance?
Yegian: It depends on what we find. Next couple of months?
Jones: Will get get to it this council?
Yegian: I hesitate to say, not knowing the legal issues. We can always try and advance something.

Carr says there's a "good chance" to get something for this council
Cheer from Morzel and silent applause from the audience.

"I for one find that very satisfying."

That was Jones, btw.

This discussion is a wrap.

And unroll this one, too, please and thank you, @threadreaderapp