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The CMHI Board of Directors and General Membership welcome the following new members: The CMHI Board of Directors and General Membership welcome the following new members: Flyin’ J Homes, LLC Glen Haven Homes Spare Time Communities, LLC Tumbleweed Manufactured Homes Homestore, Inc. Manufactured Home Financial
SCHWARZENEGGER VETOES SB198 This bill sponsored by CMHI, would have given HCD the authority to establish a program complying with pending federal requirements related to standards for installing or altering the installation of manufactured homes, multi-unit manufactured housing and commercial modulars and the licensing, training and certification of the installers of manufactured housing, multi-unit manufactured homes and commercial modulars. Additionally, the bill incorporated our FOB legislation to clarify the code sections and provide protections for the industry and consumer when FOB sales of manufactured homes on real estate are made. Although the bill passed both houses the Governor returned the bill to the California State Senate without his signature. “This bill is premature since the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is charged with establishing a nationwide manufactured housing installation program. This bill’s duplicative standards could contradict the federal criteria to be released in the coming months,” said Schwarzenegger.
FRESNO DEBATES INCREASE IN DEVELOPER FEES After two decades of reluctance to raise developer fees, Fresno City Council will look at a plan to raise fees to build police and fire stations. In an effort to give developers one of the best deals in California, the city has dug itself into a deep financial hole. City officials project a shortfall of billions of dollars to build streets, parks, police and fire stations and to serve its 470,000 residents and the hundreds of thousands more expected in the next 20 years. City officials say the reason for this shortfall is having developers’ fees lower than most cities in California. |
Throughout the 1990’s, while comparable cities were charging $7,000 to $20,000 a house for new infrastructure, Fresno stayed at $3,500. Only last year did the city raise fees to the amount of $5,000. Many factors determine the cost to a city of each new residence, but municipal finance experts say that, on average, developers fees need to be about $35,000 for each house to fully cover the costs of services. Builders are pressing to keep the new fee on the low end - $12,000 a house. Consultants agree that Fresno needs to raise fees higher than $12,000 to reflect the true costs of growth. “High fees don’t raise the price of homes. The market does that,” said Bob Spencer an Oakland-based municipal finance expert recently hired by the city to update its fee programs. SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
HOUSING LAWS CHANGING Recent complaints by residents of Lake Elizabeth and Lake Hughes prompted a handful of Los Angeles County representatives to attend a recent Lakes Town Council meeting. Although they were there to answer questions regarding “mobile homes and trailers,” they made one announcement: Building standards for “mobilehomes” will soon be more strict in the high desert of L.A. County. “We have decided, from now on, to require mobile homes to have permanent foundations,” said Hassan Alameddine, the County’s Assistant Superintendent of Building and Safety. Tim Grover, a supervising building and safety engineering specialist for the county explained the decision is based on requirements for the environment. In the Lakes area the soil is classified as “expanding” thus prompting this decision. The concern is our safety in an earthquake and he compared the affects of the Northridge quake on homes with a foundation and those without. Builders will be required to follow the rules in place at the time they apply for the permit, not on those that were in place when the permit was approved. Source: Antelope Valley Press
CMHI FOUNDATION MAKES CONTRIBUTION On November 30th, Jess Maxcy, President CMHI Foundation, presented a check for $18,600 to the American Red Cross. The presentation took place at a dinner in Palm Desert honoring those who have supported the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts of the Red Cross. To-date just over 7,800 families have come to California seeking temporary or permanent shelter. This donation by the Foundation stipulated that the funds be used to shelter displaced families in our state.
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Funds for the donation consisted of individual CMHI member contributions and a direct donation from the Foundation. The generosity of members has brightened the holiday season for many families. The Foundation is committed to providing assistance to worthy families in need of affordable housing and continues to reach out to communities within California. For more information about the Foundation, its efforts and how you can help, call Jess Maxcy at 909-987-2599.
INCOME NEEDED FOR HOME BUYING INCREASES With the rise in the median home price, California must now earn more than they did in 2004. Using terms set forth by many lenders - 20 percent down payment and a monthly payment of no more than 30 percent of household income for a monthly payment including principal, interest, taxes and insurance - it requires $127,950 in household income to qualify for a statewide median sale price of $545,910. The climb in home prices has widened the income gap for homebuyers throughout California. The median incomes in the San Francisco Bay Area, Southern California and Central Valley are: $68,520, $52,580 and $43,170, respectively. Median home prices for those areas are $751,850, $541,110 and $361,090, respectively. If home prices continue to soar and household incomes don’t increase proportionally, it is clear the attraction to affordable housing alternatives, such as manufactured housing, will be more apparent. SOURCE: The Press Enterprise-Inland Southern California MANUFACTURED HOUSING EDUCATIONAL TRUST MAKES CONTRIBUTION The Manufactured Housing Educational Trust (MHET) represents the owners of mobile home parks and manufactured housing communities in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. There are over 800 communities and thousands of home sites (spaces) in this tricounty area with 29 mobile home communities in the City of Santa Ana. On Saturday, September 17, 2005, the City of Santa Ana, MHET, Trails for All and other local groups, held a lower Santiago Restoration Project. This was part of the 9th Annual Inner-Coastal & Watershed Clean Up, an effort that helps reduce litter runoff to the beaches. MHET and the Santa Ana community owners have pledged $1,000 annually for the next three years and are sponsors of this worthy program. MHET will contribute $1,000 each year to benefit this program through the City of Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Department general fund. MHET members takes great pride in being able to support local cities and reaching common goals by providing the best to the community and residents through excellent programs like “Adopt a Park”. |
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