Arcata council awards project contract, reconsiders Closure and Conversion Ordinance for mobile home parks

Arcata, Ca., (KIEM) Wednesday night the Arcata City Council awarded a contract To Pacific Builders for a city remodel project for a Total Potential Cost of $635,349.

As part of the city’s Capital Improvement Project, the interior of the city hall building will be remodeled.

The interior remodel will incorporate 35 additional work stations, an expanded customer service counter, and a furnace replacement.

Council also looked at an ordinance that would prevent mobile home parks from converting to another use.

This ordinance is designed to protect the people that are living in mobile home parks and if mobile home residents have to relocate due to closure or conversion of their park they will be granted relocation assistance to move to another.

As many Arcata mobile home residents agreed with the ordinance, the council wanted some more time to consider all aspects.

“The council decided to take some time to look at the ordinance in more detail and they also directed staff to establish a mobile home exclusive zoning over the existing mobile home park,” said David Loya, Director of Community Development. “So that would be another layer that someone wanting to convert their park would have to move through in order to actually do that conversion.”

In the next meeting regarding this topic, Loya said city staff would like to receive direction on any amendments that the council would want city staff to make on the ordinance. He added staff, wants to accomplish the goal of preserving affordable housing in the city of Arcata.

The next meeting on the mobile home park closure and conversion has yet been determined.