Larimer County
Larimer planners recommend preservation zoning for 28 manufactured housing parks
The proposal would cover about 3,400 manufactured homes if county commissioners approve it. It would make parks the primary residential use and limit commercial and industrial uses, while leaving existing nonconforming uses unchanged.
The Larimer County Planning Commission recommended rezoning 28 manufactured housing parks in unincorporated Larimer County to a preservation district. The proposal would cover about 3,400 manufactured homes if county commissioners approve it.
The proposal covers 35 parcels and would make manufactured housing parks the primary residential use, with complementary uses for residents and limits on commercial and industrial uses. It would not itself expand or change existing uses, and uses already considered nonconforming would retain that status. Future expansions or changes would have to meet applicable county code requirements, including the preservation district’s standards.
The county created the district to help preserve the parks and reduce redevelopment-related closures and displacement. A county staff report cites an April 2026 regional housing assessment that found manufactured homes make up 10% of unincorporated Larimer County’s housing stock and are its largest source of naturally occurring affordable housing. It says moving manufactured homes can be prohibitively expensive, while state and federal regulations prohibit moving those built before 1976.
An Onzaire Mobile Home Park resident supported the rezoning, saying it would help protect the community. “We are not a county-funded housing program,” a park owner said. The owner questioned how the zoning could affect property values, financing, future sales and taxes, and asked whether owners could opt out. Staff said the county had not studied property-value effects and, to the staff member’s knowledge, the rezoning would not affect property taxes.
A written request from the owners of Davies Mobile Park asked the county to leave the park and adjacent Zebra Ranch in open zoning so they could continue operating a family farm and affordable mobile-home community. Staff said the park occupies a separate parcel from the agricultural land, which is not included in the proposed rezoning. A county attorney said owners had no opt-in choice, but the commission could recommend excluding a property. Owners could later apply to rezone out of the district, with the Planning Commission and county commissioners deciding the request, staff said.