Public hearing set on storing unoccupied mobile homes

BY JESSIE BURCHETTE
SALISBURY POST

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners is a step closer to ridding the county of burned-out or abandoned mobile homes.

This week the board set a public hearing on a new ordinance to deal with storage of manufactured homes. The hearing will be Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. 

County officials, including the planning department, have been deluged for months with complaints about unoccupied, dilapidated, damaged and rusted mobile homes. In some instances they are left on site at mobile home parks, and in other cases there are collections of the structures. 

The ordinance can also apply to structurally sound mobile homes, depending on where and how they are located.

The countyıs planning department has been working on the ordinance for several months. After consulting with Count Attorney John Holshouser, the staff presented a revised version to commissioners this week. 

Commissioners had raised questions about authority and process during a previous meeting. County Planner Marion Lytle said that after meetings with Holshouser and consultations with the Institute of Government, the ordinance is ready to be considered for adoption. 

The ordinance comes under the nuisance ordinance provisions and is intended to protect public health and safety. 

As proposed, "dead storage" of mobile homes would be allowed for up to 90 days. After that period, the home would be in violation. Dead storage is defined as a home not being used for its intended purpose. 

Penalties could be imposed at 90 days, starting with a warning citation and ranging up to $500 a day. The county would also have the authority to remove the home, dispose of it and attach a lien to the property to cover the costs. 

The ordinance includes detailed process for notification and enforcement. Copies of the proposed ordinance are available at the County Planning Department. 

Earlier this week, commissioners heard from a resident who wants the county to go further. 

Donna Jackson called on the county to clean up existing mobile home parks for the benefit of children. 

"Some of these people are living in Third World conditions," said Jackson. "Itıs appalling to see how some of these people are living. Some of these trailers are unsafe, unfit, and uninhabitable." 

Jackson suggested that the county mandate that mobile-home park owners provide large trash containers that can easily hold furniture or appliances that are discarded. 

Planners agreed to check with the Manufactured Housing Institute for possible recommendations on dealing with issues related to cleaning up parks and disposing of homes.