Part 2 Opinion: The Changing World of Investor Owned Mobile Home Parks

In the past, Manufactured Home Parks (MHP) have been primarily family owned operations.Recently, there has been a new trend and Corporate investors have found they are now the mostrobust form of real estate available. That's when the lives of homeowners living in investor ownedparks changed. Cindy Newman and I, Ron Paulick, have opinions regarding this new type of MHP. Wewould like to share them with you. We are both pro-development. However, we oppose the 9-Blessings LLC Mobile Home Park (MHP)development that was addressed previously in the Great Falls Gazette on September 7, 2025. Cindy'sopinion's were part 1. Here are my opinions. While City Code 17.20.6.010 - Mobile home park, pertains to manufactured homes andmanufactured home parks, it should be made clear to prospective homeowners that once their homes are sitting on land someone else owns, laws and rights differ greatly from site built homes attached to land. There would be traffic safety & congestion issues impacting surrounding residents and children going to and playing around Morningside School. Costs to mitigate traffic problems & road improvements may be very high and notjustifiable for tax revenue gained using R-10 zoning classification. Is the soil suitable for 154 manufactured homes? Neighboring residents have experienced shifting, swampy soils in this section of NC-4. While the foundation of a site built home allows for some ground movement. Long term maintenance costs due to buckling foundations would be very costly. Past studies on this tract of land have deemed it not suitable for development. More proof is needed that the land is suitable for this use. Winter snow removal and rapid thawing issues may impact the 154 MHP residents. Excessive rain runoff from surrounding higher elevation areas may also impact underground and surface infrastructures. Unknowns are risky and costly. Affordable housing claims are questionable for low or moderate income households and are not substantiated by Nine Blessing LLC. Will these and many other questions be answered before approval? Nine Blessings differs from other investor-owned MT parks in that those were already populated when they were taken over. But we agree that the end result will be the same unless the city insures fair dealings with oversight and transparency. In conclusion, would Great Falls benefit from another investor owned development? Consider the Manufactured home communities in Great Falls and across the nation that are being exploited because investment firms prioritize profits over the well-being of residents? Ethically and morally we agree, supporting local developers who would prioritize the best interests of the people who live in Great Falls would be a better solution. Signed by: Ron Paulick, Cindy Newman*City of Great Falls Planning Advisory Board/Zoning meeting is October 14, that will address the NineBlessings Development. By Ron Paulick: September 30, 2025 - Great Falls Opinion / political pieces are printed verbatim, in their entirety, and are not fact-checked. We reserve the right to not run an opinion or political piece that we find objectionable. If you have an opinion or political piece you would like to share, please contact The Great Falls Gazette at info@gfgazette.com or call (406) 604-8929.

Part 2 Opinion: The Changing World of Investor Owned Mobile Home Parks

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