Oakland town councilors said Wednesday they would like to see some changes in an ordinance designed to regulate health and safety in mobile home parks before itcomes back to them for final approval on July 22. (Abigail Pritchard/Staff Writer)

OAKLAND — Town officials say they would like to have more mobile home parks, but they worry elements of a proposed ordinance designed to regulate health and safety in parks could prevent that.

The town council gave an early approval Wednesday to a proposal that requires mobile home parks to be licensed and details the duties of park owners to maintain common areas as well as lighting and any utilities and appliances which the park provides.

But councilors were skeptical about provisions requiring all new parks to be at least 25 acres and individual lots to be 20,000 square feet — meaning the smallest park possible could contain more than 50 mobile homes.

Councilors Bob Nutting and Kelly Roderick say they worry that such a large minimum requirement would discourage people from opening new mobile home parks. All councilors agreed that they’d like to see more mobile home parks, particularly since so many residents are dissatisfied with the massive rent increases they’ve experienced in their current parks.

The proposed ordinance comes amid mobile home residents’ pleas for rent stabilization — which the town council opted not to pursue. During thos conversations, town officials became aware of health and safety issues in the parks, including complaints about rats, utility maintenance and issues in the park’s common spaces.

Town Manager Kelly Pinney-Michaud said in early June that the ordinance would give Oakland’s code enforcement officer a way to enforce regulations for park owners, and provide residents with clarity on which maintenance tasks they’re responsible for.

At a sparsely attended public hearing Wednesday , Code Enforcement Officer Nathan Smart said he based the proposed ordinance on similar ones in other Maine towns. The ordinance went to the planning board and town attorney for review.

Smart said the 25-acre requirement is common, and that by the time you add green space, driveways, parking, roads, sidewalks and recreational facilities, the space makes sense.

Still, Nutting and Roderick worried about discouraging development.

“I think whoever drafted this particular one … didn’t really want mobile home parks,” Nutting said. “I don’t know that that’s what we’re here to do. I think we’re here to make sure the mobile home parks are well maintained and up to code.”

Smart said he’d make changes to this section before the ordinance’s second reading.

“If people do have a choice to move to, perhaps, better [parks], then the ones that are less desirable might be incentivized to do a better job with their parks,” Councilor Su Leigh said.

The ordinance requires all mobile home parks to have a license, which requires it be compliant with all requirements listed in the ordinance, though not every section of the ordinance applies to existing parks. Requirements include that the licensee, or owner, maintain all common areas of the parks, shared lighting, electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilation and air conditioning units and appliances, which the park provides and all common utilities.

Most of the ordinance’s impact on existing parks applies to maintenance and gives town officials a means to communicate with park owners, which had previously been difficult. Pinney-Michaud said she still doesn’t know who owns one mobile home park, only who manages it.

The ordinance also requires parks cause minimal disturbance to the land and preserve natural features where possible, that at least 10% of the area of the park be reserved for recreational facilities and that each mobile home have outdoor space.

Smart would be responsible for enforcing all aspects of the ordinance, and possible penalties include fines and loss of licenses and permits.

Pinney-Michaud and Smart said they’d make changes to the ordinance before its second reading, including rearranging the ordinance it so its clear which rules apply to existing parks, and which apply only to new parks, which councilors said was difficult.

The ordinance’s second reading will be at 6 p.m.Wednesday, July 22 at the fire station at 15 Fairfield St.