By RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff Oct 25 2006 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
The City of Vernon wants to ensure mobile home residents
displaced by development have somewhere to go. Council gave two readings to a bylaw Monday that will force anyone wanting to rezone mobile home park lands for other uses to submit a relocation plan for the tenants. “The affordable housing situation is at a crisis in our town,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham. “Because the market is hot, (property) owners are trying to cash in. 
I don’t blame them but we have to minimize the impact on affordability in our area.” There’s apparently been one recent case where the residents of a Vernon mobile home park have been asked to remove their trailers. Tenants there have refused to comment because the matter is in the midst of arbitration. “The reason provided for the eviction notice is that the property owner was going to apply to redevelop the property for another form of housing,” said Dale Rintoul, city planner, in a report to council. Residents in other mobile home parks are praising the city bylaw. “I think it will protect us,” said Harold Austrom, who lives in a mobile home park on 43rd Avenue. Austrom added that he hasn’t heard of any redevelopment plans for his park, but he wants to make sure his interests are considered if that occurred. Under the bylaw, anyone seeking rezoning for other housing types would have to 
provide a relocation plan. The plan will detail the amount of notice given to the occupiers of the mobile home park, compensation given to the occupiers, other housing options offered to the occupiers, comparisons of the proposed relocation plan to the Manufactured Home Tenancy Act and a list of occupiers who support the relocation plan or who have accepted the compensation package offered by the developer. “The policy is similar to what Lake Country has done,” said 
Rintoul, adding that onus will be placed on the owner or developer of the property. “What will they do with the existing occupiers of those homes?” The bylaw would apply to all mobile home parks in Vernon except for those on the Okanagan Indian Reserve. One issue of concern for council is the fact that some trailers, because of their design, can’t easily be relocated to another site. “We’re a bit strapped for land for these kinds of development,” said Rintoul. Coun. Barry Beardsell asked that all vacant land zoned for mobile home parks be referred to the affordable housing committee for review. The proposed bylaw will go before a public hearing Nov. 27.
The City of Vernon wants to ensure mobile home residents
displaced by development have somewhere to go. Council gave two readings to a bylaw Monday that will force anyone wanting to rezone mobile home park lands for other uses to submit a relocation plan for the tenants. “The affordable housing situation is at a crisis in our town,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham. “Because the market is hot, (property) owners are trying to cash in. 
I don’t blame them but we have to minimize the impact on affordability in our area.” There’s apparently been one recent case where the residents of a Vernon mobile home park have been asked to remove their trailers. Tenants there have refused to comment because the matter is in the midst of arbitration. “The reason provided for the eviction notice is that the property owner was going to apply to redevelop the property for another form of housing,” said Dale Rintoul, city planner, in a report to council. Residents in other mobile home parks are praising the city bylaw. “I think it will protect us,” said Harold Austrom, who lives in a mobile home park on 43rd Avenue. Austrom added that he hasn’t heard of any redevelopment plans for his park, but he wants to make sure his interests are considered if that occurred. Under the bylaw, anyone seeking rezoning for other housing types would have to 
provide a relocation plan. The plan will detail the amount of notice given to the occupiers of the mobile home park, compensation given to the occupiers, other housing options offered to the occupiers, comparisons of the proposed relocation plan to the Manufactured Home Tenancy Act and a list of occupiers who support the relocation plan or who have accepted the compensation package offered by the developer. “The policy is similar to what Lake Country has done,” said 
Rintoul, adding that onus will be placed on the owner or developer of the property. “What will they do with the existing occupiers of those homes?” The bylaw would apply to all mobile home parks in Vernon except for those on the Okanagan Indian Reserve. One issue of concern for council is the fact that some trailers, because of their design, can’t easily be relocated to another site. “We’re a bit strapped for land for these kinds of development,” said Rintoul. Coun. Barry Beardsell asked that all vacant land zoned for mobile home parks be referred to the affordable housing committee for review. The proposed bylaw will go before a public hearing Nov. 27. 
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