Responding to Resident Concerns, County Tables Action on Ordinance Allowing Mobile Homes in Rainbow Lakes Estates

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

Residents of Rainbow Lakes Estates won a temporary reprieve Tuesday when the Levy County Commission voted unanimously to postpone action on an ordinance that would allow mobile homes in their community.

Several dozen Rainbow Lakes Estates residents spoke passionately to commissioners about the need to preserve the original zoning restrictions limiting development to site-built homes.

Commissioners decided to allow the Rainbow Lakes Estates Advisory Board, which none of them had heard of prior to the hearing, to meet in January and determine whether it wants to re-establish expired deed restrictions that limit development to site-built homes.

Dallas Seveland, chairman of the advisory board, introduced himself with a scorching statement about how the county commission had largely ignored Rainbow Lakes Estates residents in many respects up to this point in time.

“I can talk about the inadequacies of how Levy County treats residents of Rainbow Lakes Estates (RLE), such as refusal to pay for recreation, inadequate funding to pay for roads and projects and prior history of removal of services and funding, etc.,” Seveland said.

One of the political realities of Rainbow Lakes Estates is that it is divided between Marion and Levy counties and is located in the southeast corner of the county, a forgotten area until recently when residents demanded the county make efforts to remove squatters living in tents with no running water, no sewer or electricity.

Residents testified that the county has begun addressing the squatter issue but they said many squatters remain and are an unsightly stain on the social fabric of their beautiful community, but they said allowing mobile homes is something they totally oppose as well.

One of the agenda items on Tuesday’s commission agenda was a public hearing to discuss an ordinance that would for the first time rezone the Levy County side of Rainbow Lakes Estates to allow mobile homes in a rural residential district. County staff was recommending approval of the ordinance going into the hearing but showed flexibility after the community expressed interest in re-establishing expired deed restrictions to prevent mobile homes from locating in RLE.

County Planning and Zoning Director Stacey Hectus said there wouldn’t be any need for the county to amend the RLE zoning to allow mobile homes if the community wants to activate the deed restrictions that originally limited development to site-built homes.

Seveland said the community doesn’t want mobile homes as neighbors much less a mobile home park.

“What I’m here today to discuss is how allowing non-residential mobile homes in Levy County would negatively impact property values, not just in the Levy County portion but in all of Rainbow Lakes Estates as well as strain our facilities programs and resources. No one is stating that mobile homes are inferior living or bringing in the wrong element of people – nothing could be further from the truth. The issue is most unimproved lots in Rainbow Lakes Estates are only a quarter or a half an acre and allowing these mobile homes would in essence create a mobile home park,” he said.

“My question to this board is how can you vote for changing this when you have not been to that community and seen our beautiful lakes, sports complexes, fields, clubhouse center, fitness center, computer lab, and coffee bar not to mention our new creative arts center due to open in January as well as maintenance staff, district office staff, and recreation staff that oversee day to day operations as well as hosting events for children, adults, and seniors in the community.”

The county’s plan to amend an ordinance to allow mobile homes in Rainbow Lakes Estates was prompted by a request from Barbara Collins, who stood after nearly an hour of listening to sometimes emotional testimony to say she would “go before the firing squad,” as she put it, to tell her side of the story.

She said her family purchased a one-acre lot in Rainbow Lakes Estates and planned to move a mobile home on the property. She said she would pay as much in property taxes for a one-acre lot as site-built homeowners – about $1,400 annually. The crowd groaned at the comparison.

“It’s also against the Affordable Housing Act to deny my right to put affordable housing there,” she said.

She added that she drives through Rainbow Lakes Estates every day and sees “Rainbow Lakes Boulevard” is full of crack houses.

Resident Lilly Johnstone, who owns property in Rainbow Lakes Estates, like many other residents demanded to know the name of the person who brought this to commissioners. Collins stepped up to the microphone soon after Johnstone spoke.

“I would be more than happy to suggest to them where they could put their mobile home,” she said.