Manufactured Home Park Preservation
Furthering equity through innovative preservation efforts
More than 14,000 households live in the region's Manufactured Home Parks — an important source of unsubsidized affordable housing. Primarily located in the region's suburban areas, park residents have access to high quality schools, job opportunities, transit and transportation networks, and regional parks. Further, manufactured homes offer homeownership opportunities to families for whom ownership is otherwise difficult or not possible.
Redevelopment pressures, aging infrastructure, and locations near major transportation infrastructures threaten this valuable source of affordable housing. While no new parks have opened since 1991, 12 parks have closed since then. Loss of these parks undermine regional equity by disconnecting low-income households and residents of color from the unique opportunities offered by suburban and edge communities.
Manufactured Home Park Preservation Project
Selected as part of the Met Council's 2015 Equity Implementation Grant program, the Manufactured Home Park Preservation Project is a two-part, multi-divisional effort involving housing policy, connection to the regional wastewater treatment system, and environmental and water quality considerations.
Part One: In June, we completed a baseline report that evaluated the state of the region’s manufactured home parks, examined the policy levers the Council may have to help preserve them, and introduced the MHP Preservation pilot grant program. Read the Manufactured Home Park Preservation Baseline Report (33 pages, PDF).
Part Two (in progress): In August 2017, the Met Council awarded the MHP Preservation Pilot Grant to Maple Hill Estates in Corcoran. The program defrays the costs of connecting the manufactured home park to the regional wastewater treatment system by using a 50/50 match structure (up to $250,000) to help cover regional Sewer Availability Charges (SAC). Read more about the pilot grant award (PDF).
