Affordable Housing Crisis

Mobile Home Parks in the Steamboat Springs Area: An Urgent Case for Preservation

Steamboat Springs housing costs are rising

The lack of affordable housing options in Steamboat Springs has a significant impact not only on the individuals experiencing housing insecurity, but also on the entire community, making it difficult for local businesses to hire and retain staff, even for critical roles such as teachers, nurses, first responders, and healthcare providers, and for workers to stay in or move to the community.

A market update published by the Colorado Association of Realtors lists the average closed price for homes sold in Routt County in 2024 up until August at $2,080,781 for single-family homes and $1,096,679 for townhomes and condominiums.  These home prices are much higher than most local workers can afford, putting homeownership largely out of reach for most households earning less than $200,000 annually. Even those who make enough money to afford a home are typically competing with all-cash offers and are often outbid.

Mobile Homes functions as affordable housing

As homeownership in Routt County becomes increasingly unaffordable, manufactured homes are one of the few remaining sources of naturally occurring affordable housing. At the same time, these homes are under significant threat, with a steady decline in the number of mobile homes and increasing pressure to redevelop existing parks.

Between 2010 and 2019, Routt County saw a drastic reduction in manufactured homes, falling from approximately 1,300 units to just 788. By 2024, that number had dropped further to 770 homes, with only 407 located in Steamboat Springs​.

A substantial portion of these homes were built before 1976, making them older, harder to maintain, and difficult to relocate. Despite this, they remain critical to providing affordable housing in an area where median home prices are often out of reach for local workers and families.

Contrary to their name, mobile homes are not truly mobile. Many are too old to move, and relocating them is an expensive, complex process that involves disconnecting utilities and finding new land, which is not always available.

Looking at former mobile home parks in the Steamboat Springs area shows us why preservation of existing mobile home parks is so important.

A Success Story – Hilltop Homes at Harms Court: In late 2000, when their park was offered up for sale, 17 manufactured homeowners in the Hilltop Homes manufactured home park on Harms Court across from Steamboat Springs High School came together to purchase the park under a limited liability company they formed together. The City agreed to allow the owners to subdivide the lots, and each manufactured homeowner went from renting their land to owning the small plots under their homes. Today, some of those owners have built small, stick-built homes in their place. (Source: Hasenbeck, Eleanor C. “The somewhat bitter saga of Steamboat Springs’ mobile home parks.”Steamboat Pilot, September 15, 2019, https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/the-somewhat-bitter-saga-of-steamboat-springs-mobile-home-parks/?)

Westland Mobile Home Park was located on land behind Natural Grocers and was home to 39 mobile homes and 100 residents. It was demolished in 2005 for redevelopment after the city sold two blocks of Yampa Street right-of-way to the developer for $950,000. The City of Steamboat Springs used $550,000 of the $950,000 to compensate residents and manufactured homeowners based on how long they’d lived there and the value of their homes. Westland homeowners received an average of $19,400. The City then gave the other $400,000 to the Yampa Valley Housing Authority (YVHA) in the form of a low-interest loan, which YVHA then used to purchase Fish Creek Mobile Home Park in 2007. Despite significant investment, the land sat vacant for years due to the recession. Nearly 20 years later (2024), different lots at the location are finally being developed. Luxury single-family homes on the river were the first lot to be developed on the river and two other lots are being constructed to be 104 rental units with 11 workforce units. (Sources:.“The somewhat bitter saga of Steamboat Springs’ mobile home parks. https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/the-somewhat-bitter-saga-of-steamboat-springs-mobile-home-parks/?,  See RiverView Steamboat Springs, https://riverviewsteamboat.com/, https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/steamboat-moves-toward-deal-with-developer-to-secure-11-workforce-housing-units/ https://www.steamboatrp.com/303-riverview-way

Trailer Haven was an 11-home manufactured home park located on Fish Creek Falls Road and Third Street which was torn down in 1995. Trailer Haven residents retained legal representation to try to stop the sale or at least get compensation for moving. . Unfortunately, since they did not own the land, they did not have any rights at the time. The site first became tennis courts operated by Old Town Hot Springs and now it is a parking lot.

Legal Action and Preservation Efforts

Following the demolition of Trailer Haven, the city of Steamboat Springs’s City Council introduced Ordinance 1804, which requires developers intending to redevelop mobile home parks to provide impact reports, including relocation plans for displaced residents. To preserve more mobile home parks the state passed the Colorado’s Mobile Home Park Act of 2019 which provides residents a right of first refusal in the event of a park sale, offering them a chance to purchase the park or assign that right to a local government, housing authority or nonprofit entity. This legislation was used for the YVHA to purchase Whitehaven Mobile Home Park and now at Milner Mobile Home Park allowing residents the ability to buy the land under their manufactured homes.

Current Mobile Home Parks: A Fragile Lifeline

The Steamboat Springs area still has several critical mobile home parks. These parks are often a steppingstone for renters to leave affordable rental housing and buy their own homes.

• Fish Creek Mobile Home Park, with 68 units, was bought by the Yampa Valley Housing Authority (YVHA) in 2007 to ensure affordable housing near the city center. Lot rents, ranging from $450 to $525​, include water, sewer, trash, and snow removal.
• Whitehaven Mobile Home Park, with 27 units, was saved from private sale when YVHA purchased it in 2022. Lot rents are $695 and include water, sewer, trash and snow removal. YVHA is working to update the aging water and sewer infrastructure.
• Dream Island Mobile Home Park, Steamboat’s second-largest mobile home park is owned by Ascentia Management since 1991. There are more than 80 mobile homes and studio apartments. Lot rents are up to $1,175 and include water, sewer and trash pick up.
• West Acres Mobile Home Park. This park has 90 lots and experienced a 50% rent increase in 2023, with current lot fees at $1,375, which also include water, sewer and trash services. This park tragically made headlines in 2024 when a small plane crashed into homes on site.
• Sleepy Bear Mobile Home Park, with 54 lots sold in 2011 for $3.2 million. It has lot rents ranging from $800 to $1,200 per month​.
• Copper Mountain Estates, on Indian Trails road with 58 lots has rents at $735 per month.
• Milner Mobile Home Park. On July 24, 2024, the owners of the Milner Mobile Home Park notified residents that they were putting the Park up for sale at $8 million. That price is more than double the $3.8 million that the 10-acre park sold for in 2021. The residents have been organizing to form a cooperative and get financing so they can make an offer to buy the land before the November 21st deadline. Read more here. Lot fees at Milner are $925, which include water, sewer and trash.

Sources:  Denver Post, May 28, 2023 https://www.denverpost.com/2023/05/28/colorado-mobile-home-parks-new-legislation/; “West Acres Mobile Home Park residents face 50% increase in lot rent.”Steamboat Pilot, February 3, 2023,, https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/west-acres-mobile-

While these parks remain, rising land values and redevelopment pressures threaten their existence. The loss of any one of them would deepen the housing crisis in Routt County, where affordable housing is already scarce.

The Difficulty of Building New Mobile Home Parks

Creating new mobile home parks in Steamboat Springs is nearly impossible due to a combination of zoning restrictions, land costs, and political opposition. Manufactured homes are allowed only in the manufactured home zone district, and there is no vacant land within this zone. Any new development would require a complicated and costly zone change, something that has discouraged developers from pursuing new projects.

The cost of land further complicates matters. For example, vacant lots within Steamboat Springs city limits are listed for sale at a minimum of $500,000 for just 0.31 acres. Given these prices, developers are more likely to build market-rate housing, which offers far greater profit margins than mobile home parks​.

Political opposition, often rooted in outdated perceptions of mobile homes, has also played a role. In 2013, a proposal for a new mobile home park with 27 lots was denied by the city council, despite a demonstrated need for affordable housing. Since that denial, no new mobile home parks have been developed in Steamboat Springs, and none are currently proposed​.

Source: “Community Development Code, Chapter 26, Steamboat Springs Municipal Code.” City of Steamboat Springs, https://steamboatsprings.net/DocumentCenter/View/12226/Community-Development-Code_effective-Jan-12018_Version6

The Case for Preservation: Why Existing Mobile Home Parks Must Be Protected

Preserving existing mobile home parks is essential for several reasons:

1. Availability: Mobile home parks provide a rare and efficient way to offer housing to many families on a small parcel of land. They represent an immediate solution to the growing housing crisis in Steamboat Springs.
2. Affordability: With escalating home prices and rental costs, mobile homes offer an affordable alternative. Residents often own their homes and lease the land, allowing them to live in the area without being priced out by the high cost of single-family homes.
3. Stability: Mobile home parks offer a level of housing stability not often found in the volatile rental market. Many residents have lived in these communities for decades, forming strong social networks that enhance their quality of life.
4. Mobility: Mobile home parks provide many renters with the opportunity to become homeowners and play a crucial role in the affordable housing market.

Given the challenges of developing new mobile home parks, preserving the existing ones becomes not just necessary but urgent. Without action, more parks may be demolished for redevelopment, displacing long-time residents and further shrinking the supply of affordable housing in a community already in crisis.

By protecting these parks and ensuring their residents have the legal and financial resources to remain in place, Steamboat Springs can make meaningful progress in addressing its housing challenges. The preservation of mobile home parks is not just about saving a type of housing—it’s about preserving the community itself.