Productive Meeting Between Mobile Home Park Owner and County Supervisors

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A meeting took place this week between representatives from Havenpark Communities, the owner of several mobile home parks in the area, and two Johnson County supervisors. The meeting was described as constructive, with both sides discussing issues like water quality, rent increases, and a reduction in services that have concerned mobile home park residents.

Why it matters

The involvement of county supervisors highlights the growing tensions between mobile home park owners and residents over basic quality of life issues. As affordable housing becomes scarcer, these types of dialogues are crucial to ensuring vulnerable residents have their concerns addressed.

The details

The meeting was the result of months of back-and-forth communication between the supervisors and Havenpark, prompted by requests from the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition and Johnson County Residents United. Top issues discussed included water quality problems, with manganese detected in the drinking water at one park and brown water at another, as well as rent increases of up to 50% and a reduction in services.

• The meeting took place this week in Iowa City.
• The supervisors got involved last May, at the request of local housing advocacy groups.

What’s next

The supervisors and Havenpark representatives plan to hold additional meetings to continue addressing resident concerns.