For those who own and live in a manufactured home in Santa Barbara County, the threat of having their park closed — which would leave them with a building but no land to put it on — looms like a constant dark cloud, as each park’s owner could one day decide to use their property in a more profitable way. Although no parks are up currently up for closure, the county Board of Supervisors will seek to shine a little sunshine on these bastions of affordable housing next Tuesday by voting on the first ever mobile home park closure ordinance, which in its proposed draft would make such closure very expensive and highly unlikely.

Through a series of earlier hearings, mobile home owners have been able to get almost everything they wish, including plenty of notice, lots of moving assistance, and, if they cannot move their home to a new park (which most have said would be nearly impossible), the chance to be compensated at market rate for the full in-site value of the home. Park owners have argued against the latter solution in previous meetings, and are expected again to complain that it’s too onerous of a duty on Tuesday.

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