Possible ‘Seniors-Only’ Rule at Santa Maria Mobile Home Parks To Be Decided at City Council Meeting

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Santa Maria City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing tonight to consider a new zoning amendment designed to protect age-restricted mobile home parks. 

The proposed Senior Mobile Home Park Overlay District would establish permanent rules to prevent senior-only facilities from being converted into all-age communities.

The Santa Maria Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the zoning change on July 1. 

Under the proposed ordinance, affected parks would be required to adhere to an 80% occupancy standard for seniors and submit reports to the city every two years to ensure compliance with the age restrictions.

The zoning protection plan identifies five specific age-restricted communities located within the Santa Maria city limits. 

These include Rancho Buena Vista Mobile Estates, Casa Del Rio Mobile Estates, Casa Grande Senior Mobile Estates, La Maria Senior Mobile Home Park and Sunnyhills Mobile Home Community. 

Together, these parks represent 1,137 individual housing units.

Other senior parks in the immediate area, such as Knollwood Village and Del Cielo, are not included in the proposed city overlay, as these facilities fall under the jurisdiction of unincorporated Santa Barbara County, which maintains separate regulations and protections for parks located outside of the Santa Maria city boundaries.

The move to establish the Senior Mobile Home Park Overlay District follows years of requests from local mobile home park residents for increased protections.

While dwellers have frequently asked the city for rent control measures, this current proposal focuses on preserving the 55-plus status of the parks rather than regulating space rents.

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