Toxic Issues for CA Mobile Home Park, New Mexico County Supports Manufactured Housing Ordinance, VT Opens Net Zero Affordable Housing
Out West, residents in an El Cajon, CA mobile home park wait for test results monitoring a sprawling toxic plume racing towards their community; in the Southwest, manufactured homeowners in New Mexico County can breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to a 4-1 vote supporting a Manufactured Home Placement Ordinance. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, a dilapidated Vermont mobile home park is converted into the state’s first environmentally friendly low-income rental units.
Those are just a few of the intriguing prefabricated housing headlines from last week, now let’s do a little due diligence and inspect these stories…
Toxic Plumes Spread Towards Mobile Home Park in El Cajon California – causing concern in an East San Diego County manufactured home community, according to online reports. Some residents of Greenfield Mobile Estates in El Cajon, Ca. say they are worried about a sprawling underground toxic plume. New maps show the dangerous mix of chemicals has spread to the community not far from its known origins. An aerospace firm, Ametek, Inc., in El Cajon, admitted to dumping acids and other solvents in a large hole outside their back door. That company opened in the 1960’s. Over time, that mixture developed into the toxic chemical trichloroethylene (TCE), which is a known cancer-causing agent that has spread. Eventually, it made its way towards the K-5 Magnolia Elementary School. Greenwood Mobile Estates is located immediately adjacent to the school. One year ago, Magnolia Elementary closed temporarily while contractors installed a special filtration system at the school. Ametek has paid for the new ventilation system at Magnolia Elementary and also pays for continued monitoring at the school. It was an Ametek contractor that collected the most recent samples near the mobile home park, leading in the Department of Toxic Substances Control notification to residents. Residents of the mobile home park will be told of the testing results. The county water board is arranging a location and time, the agency’s Sean McClain said in an e-mail. The DTSC official who issued the notice sought to assure residents. “If we see any concentration indoors, we will act on it,” the official said.
New Mexico County Approves Common Sense Manufactured Housing Ordinance – The wonderful residents of New Mexico certainly love prefabricated housing. In fact, the “Land of Enchantment” loves manufactured housing so much, New Mexico has the highest percentage of residents calling some form of manufactured housing … “Home.” The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports to MFH that an ordinance passed by Eddy County officials that would keep track of mobile homes and manufactured homes being placed in the county, as was approved by the Eddy County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. The Manufactured Home Placement Ordinance passed in a 4-1 vote. Commissioner James Walterscheid was the lone dissenting vote. Commissioner Susan Crockett said in the meeting that this ordinance was an item she’d been interested in passing for over three years, adding that she was pleased to be voting for the ordinance. “My sentiments are the same as Crockett’s,” said Commissioner Stella Davis. “I spoke with some people out in the community who live in manufactured homes and they saw no problem with this, and I feel comfortable with this ordinance.” Commission Chairman Royce Pearson said the ordinance should allow the county and state to ensure that those making a manufactured home their place of residence live in comfort and safety. Under the ordinance, a permit would need to be sought from the state and county before placing a mobile or manufactured home. The ordinance proposes were the inclusion of definitions of a manufactured home and a mobile home, and a clarification of what is meant when referring to “perimeter enclosement” (aka “skirting”) for all manufactured homes placed on a lot.” Kudos to the great citizens of New Mexico.
Net-Zero Affordable Housing Opens In Vermont – A blighted mobile home park that had become a brown field has been transformed into Vermont’s first affordable and net-zero energy rental housing neighborhood, as reported by Affordable Housing Finance News. Developed by Addison County Community Trust (ACCT) in partnership with Cathedral Square, Mcknight Lane in Waltham features 14 net-zero energy two and three bedroom modular homes that are affordable to households earning at or below 50% and 60% of the area medium income. All of the homes incorporate universal design principles, while two are fully accessible. The high-performance modular homes are manufactured by VERMOD in Wilder, Vt. These homes feature extra insulation to reduce energy loss, healthy building materials, fresh and filtered air, triple pane windows, Energy Star lighting, appliances and cold-climate heat pumps. The $3.7 million development, which held it’s grand opening celebration on Oct. 19, was financed primarily by low-income housing tax credits allocated by Vermont Housing Finance Agency. People’s United Bank provided the tax credit equity as well as construction financing. “This project’s benefits are multiple and long-lasting: 14 affordable homes to help address the area’s need for affordable housing, the site is clean and no longer a brown field. And the homes are net-zero and have resiliency,” says Cindy Reid, director of development at Cathedral Square.
