Developer withdraws city code change request for manufactured home parks

East Harbor Hills developers have withdrawn their request to address inconsistencies in the city’s code that would allow for large manufactured home parks in east Blaine.

City manager Michael Harmon announced that the text amendment request was withdrawn during the May 8 city council meeting, which was days before a planning commission meeting was scheduled to hold a second public hearing on the proposal.

East Harbor Hills developer Skip Jansen said he and his wife, Katie, are evaluating their options for the property. He said they would not build a manufactured home park that is under five acres, which city code currently allows, on the property because it wouldn’t be practical. 

“We’re not sure what the next thing is but we’re stepping back and looking at all of our options at this point,” Jansen said.

The code change has been an arduous debate in planning commission over the past year that has brought dozens of east Blaine residents to voice their opposition at the meetings. 

Jansen had previously said the city encouraged him to apply for a text amendment change after he and the city discovered code inconsistencies between the east Blaine zoning code and the code for planned unit developments (PUD). The underlying zoning code allowed for large manufactured home parks in east Blaine, while the code for PUDs, which are five acres or larger, does not.

East Blaine residents have said they are not against manufactured homes but they are against manufactured homes’ potential lack of affordability and land ownership, watershed impacts, loss of city property tax revenue and other impacts. 

The planning commission first held a public hearing on the proposal last December and, after a long debate, pushed the vote on whether to recommend Blaine City Council approve the code change to planning commission’s February meeting. The commission then decided at its February meeting to hold a second public hearing during its April meeting. The April meeting was canceled for the city to look at the request’s compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan and state law.  

City code currently allows manufactured home parks under five acres to be built. If the request had been approved, any large manufactured home park development, including East Harbor Hills, would have needed separate approval. 

East Harbor Hills will be built between Jansen’s other development, The Ride at Harbor Hills, and Grandis Pond.