Blaine City Council plans to hold public hearing on manufactured home parks

Blaine City Council voted 4-1-2 to hold a public hearing on manufactured home parks during its Monday, October 23 meeting and consider approving large parks in east Blaine as long as they are restricted to a smaller zoning area. 

Council voted during its October 9 meeting, with councilmember Mike Hill opposed and councilmember Kerena Higgins and mayor Mary Lou Steward abstained. 

This comes after the planning commission voted during its September 14 meeting to recommend city council allow manufactured home parks that are five acres or larger within east Blaine on the condition that they have a geographic limitation. The only area in the city currently zoned for manufactured home parks is the planned residential zone, which is about one-third of the city’s land.

Planning commission’s vote strayed from city staff’s recommendation to approve large manufactured home parks in the entirety of the planned residential zone.

City manager Mike Hill said during the council meeting that city staff’s recommendation to city council remained the same after planning commission’s vote because the city wanted to remain consistent. 

Hill said during the meeting that he wanted to follow city staff’s recommendation. 

Council’s vote followed nearly 20 people who spoke during a heated public hearing on manufactured home parks, and most of those who spoke were east Blaine residents in opposition of the parks. 

Debate on manufactured home parks started after east Blaine developers Skip and Katie Jansen submitted a text amendment request to change inconsistencies in the city’s code, which began the public process in 2022. The zoning code allows for manufactured home parks but the planned unit development (PUD) code, which allows for flexible design and more housing types, excludes manufactured home parks. PUDs are required for manufactured home park developments that are five acres or larger.