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1/20/1993 - A View from the Twin Cities by Richard J. Balzer

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT WRITER S CONSENT INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS Broadway Lot A Vle From The TIn Ciles Saugs Mass 01906 January M Richard H Nolte Executive Dlreetor Institute Current World Aff Fifth Avenue New York New Yrk Dear Mr Nolt The elttes Mlnne polls St Paul nation natural metropolitan areas With extra ordinary Rodgers Of University Minnesota I brief mobile situation mobile homes meropolitan plannin future Te etropolitan Housing Guide eleaaed Just Metro ounoti states survey building trends between revealed middle income families little opportunity housir today prices The average sales prlee single family theaverage renta Eihty theea hehelds average prleed filyheaedfiftper ofareahouseholdseod averaEe pried apartaent based aseption should spend twenty their Inceae housi Th_e report nearly housing afford lowerIncome families cities subsidized The cities unique reoognlzlr pllsht thele eltlzen It comes housing For eomplalnl ldeqte overall housl stock therttoapblof housing lowdmodeFate income ftlles The absence moderately priced conenttol houst sdoubtedly large factor In mobile Flges relsed Mobile HomeaottAssociation Just moderately priced housi aarket mlted mobile I50 O wereneafl New Single Family Homes Sold Total Single Family Dwel units mobile stationary New Primary dwellings I single diling figures Ui Dept Of Commerce Bu If aware problem somewha unusual pereeplon Io plyingnecesslt aesmopolltanpll The areahas theleadladvoate oremetropolitanplaIng fifteen The Metro council notes their publication Jobs opportIties suburbs upply Ineenslve In thleea Is eetant I wondered Metro cocil effective housln policy furze Before talking Trudy MoFall Metro I ertain there ephasis mobile homes temrary If percentswer TrudyMoFallsprleedmeen mobile homes opinion priority eMero inplaifor increased housing stock In priority M MeFall interestin reservations about mobile development Ms NePali eouncll primarily feerally subsidized heuslng utlllzlr Section oershipdSection rental rerams This decision based about ooity reoeptlvity flnci esthetics Ms McFall program would significantly inorease houlng would reslstee She however resistance dbepartlearlystte obilehome parkS Shesaid local years ressed great fedhostilitytordmobile homeeoities Some problems corrected recent state provldln equitable taxln struOture mlnlm construction etrds Ms MoFall there problem mobile Thee problems Ms McFall looki potential mobile development council become aware certain ecological problems ideqte disposal systems The cenceed parks shoulddevelop adequatesege systems witheuttiad aleady berbdened sewaEe systems Havln Ms McFall admitted least immediate future mobile homes offered partial solution medeatel priced heusi pblem Because ceeil considered workable mobile development The aeeot overall esthetic design density oentrel I helpf sestlens state requirentsdtherequirementsef aetlsbbCeity The plain mobile development requirements deubtedlyemobile develepment eelve possibly prohibitively eensive Minnesota requires indlvida mobile shall drlvewa clear eecpi space lesst16 In width space shall haveebstutedaecess apublichiyer alley There shall space least between sides adjacent mobile homes lncludi their attacents datlsttee feetbetweenmobile homes whenpked North akeade Nebile Home Ordlnanoe requires mobile homes shall separated ether ether balldins stretes least twenty Mobile homes placed minlm fifteen anlmefiehdred shall pIded deflnble areasdopen spacewlthln mobile NetWlthsandi development concept theImdensityshall mobile homes The Metro suestS following Every mobile shall The shall least eblleHomeit sedcovereadetermined product theeXterier dimensiens Mebile Home Park developments S hallprOIde 500sqeeeo space mobile homeiThls shall reason aeeesslble ornormal outdoorpssledaetlve recreational activities The Here guide suggest paths recreation areas maximum density about units Unlike lnneso which standards North Makeade lateenS esthetic Judgements about space attempt meblle cemmunitles hreatenlng Sburban eemmuntles Having about mobile development dlscased issue Ms McFall local architects I thought would Wise visit couple parks Of large variety parks I aeelded visit newaiovative Cimarren tradltlel dfall Terrace Pemten developers Cimarren known successful eonventiona rtmen builder Minneapolls St Paul Seven years deelded mobile business In months company deelded temporarily mobile business I spoke Robe strem president forrketddesi abeat these declslens Bob written about Pemten nvelvement mobile homes O Pemten translstlen manuf eturlng mobile homes begin1967whenarketre srehpregrscompletedfor compS The reert cenelud principles rketi ldpll andenvlreental developmentced appll development With In Pemtenbehta00 acreparee inaSub thirty minutes St Pa By Pten throughplyingcitron theydecidedneetepl eeitysdevelepm teaetethelts At plying stage Pemten believed ufaete better heusl betterbuilt mereesthetlllypleasidat going price As dmeed eneral price their sellt Citronwaspliedtehe use505its Itstebethe first several eeities Pemten build It merettwo years slnee parksopeneddeecupey studs adisappelntment Based perfermee Pemtensdecided least temporarily eiese itsaetmring dttedertakeymere mobilehemedevelopments IaskedBobyhethohthepark totallymeteetatens He therketdehged years Pemten first decided enter mobile there Were itlng lists better Mieapelis St Paul parks The people wanted enterapark farexeeededthenber peopleecould At least doesn A aeeordI empty spaces Some feels caused everyone bmlld aeeeedteat seemedlikelnelmstieded Also ethertes housing especially moderately priced apartments built stmalse mItted evilla Pemtem hadgeneeverwttheydpredletdtattherket awillimg smpperttheramemeyatsma qmestlenable better hemslmg Beb sgestedtIe eatteCirm tealeekat Itself RJB Se X Ine emehat rmral euntrysie Cirron Imt saytt thepk ratherusl winter distintive Thedeslf hoaes themselves Is quite different tditlel evercln ebile world abile The exteriors thehmes arent aetal dthetts havepatiosdpartitionst formoreth theusl privacy The itselfsaveryaededattractive center inihhere vendi hines ctables center There lsapel doutdoorteisets aswellasttlts fields apndkinpathsdaninehole cease Since itsnter thsnowalreadyentheod Idi tette aetlly these outdoor faeillles I however themodel homes thatfor theverae viewer myself interior noticeably different ether mobile homes The constructionybe better obvious Havin visited Clmarron X should visit I traditional mobile picked Landfall Terrace which loated theste subbs St Pa 1Teaee Is eldest obile spaciously plied Cirron The ylesftheheaesvytlyinthepark asdoestheskirting The houses closer tether eleser state theyeatCirnere thespaeln soaehwerebetwee heNoaheadedeldtheetrede This started seventeen years oblle parks trailer tveli person seasonal worker Aecordl Dick Sions wrked lastthree years thetefthearkeedasdidthe clientele When first there nethlng arced vacant The owner bought cleared fraetlen build He places elder trailers small power electric erent When first there weren paved reads Like other places Just reads Things change during nature remained transient Beginning sixties change started oeeuring rapidly All sudden homes began getting bigger permanent Unlike elder homes almost always moved behind pickup trmek homes couldn owner moved special eemmerelal vehicles And people weren planning Seasonally They permanence about these hemes The homes needed bigger New could accommodate first batch homes eight wides Then along comes guydsays bigger needs electricity Well youseeonedyousaysexywee thelpyou Yea eight twelve people those trailers In Then If abuslness youfe That place ebbed We robably ehgeagain See JustthispastseraguyeeIndsaid electric house Well I I derstand everythi electric Well weeeul taceeedatehlmdwehad exception New theymobile homes aregel develop The clientele ehaed In olden I think people lived mobile homes lived because wanted They llked mobility seasonal Job where around Things changed A people In mobile homes really became because theytaff private homes eenventiel I asked Dick Simmons Hesald accommodate several tenants Over sixteen years continued expand It Dick years there waiting lists New empty space Ev eryone tried advantage situation built built built New there extra spaees Bat years therell waltlr again Landfall Terrace different mobile Cimarron Landfall Terrace traditional thetypeofeommItythathas everthe8 ralsedeemmunlty opposltlen But wonders complaints against mobile parks Landfall Terrace different those aimed Levlttewn tieky eemmIties Cimarren extent represent eemmunlty furze Designed arehiteets attempts semethlng simply mobile planned uprdly mobile ceIty However I wonder If respectlve mobile buyer sharesthe sbarban planner esthetic Judgements about space Fthermore livlmg planned spaced community place mobile homes reach great Americans desire private housing Mob parks never located center urban I I wanted visit parks I would Although famillar rentals I should problem Just series papers Up filling papers I right As American Erpress accepted I given green Pinto parked driveway Everythimg until I drive All sudden whirring nelse started flashing I looked there The nelse weuldn I fastened safety requirement quite annoyance The secure light whirring noise I first appointment Luckily I arrived little early I turned Ignltien removed That I tried remove wouldn Ignition I pulled wouldn I ignition turned again pulled again I neutral pulled forward backed WeIdn I looked column little letters right wouldn ttthat farteleft I spotted walking interrupted Excuse I rented I believe I ignition Could He looked miter disbelief strolled leked tried Ignltlen Ne He turned right still He backed asked I Yes I Bending posture looked maybe broken Srry I Christ I thought I going leave ignition Another I before Finally I steering wheel I pushed amazement ignition easily turned dislodged itself column I leapt bildlng Just little clock appointment Sincerely Received New York January