Clark County Council is set for a pivotal public hearing Tuesday on whether to stretch out a temporary freeze on redeveloping mobile and manufactured home parks in unincorporated Clark County. The interim moratorium now in place is scheduled to expire March 14, and councilors are weighing an extension that could last up to a year. County staff and resident advocates say keeping the pause in place a bit longer would give them time to craft land use rules aimed at protecting one of the region’s last relatively low cost paths to homeownership.
What the extension would do
A staff report recommends the council adopt Ordinance 2026‑02‑01 to extend the interim moratorium. In practical terms, that would mean any application to redevelop an existing mobile or manufactured home park would be turned away while the county finishes work on preservation regulations. The report notes that the original emergency ordinance was adopted last year and is currently set to expire March 14, 2026, but staff want authority to keep the pause in place for up to 12 more months so a full work plan can be completed. According to Clark County, staff initially counted roughly 2,033 mobile and manufactured homes in the unincorporated parts of the county.
Lawmakers and planners weigh trade offs
Councilor Glen Yung said residents of these parks "are vulnerable from so many directions," echoing concerns raised by county staff and planners, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Councilors and staff are also watching a recently passed state rent stabilization law that caps most rent hikes at the lower of 7% plus inflation or 10% per year, a change they say could nudge park owners to pursue higher value redevelopment of their land. Backers of the moratorium stress that it is meant as a temporary pressure valve to allow for a thoughtful regulatory response, not as a permanent ban on change.
Evictions and local housing pressure
Clark County saw 2,275 eviction filings in 2025, the highest eviction filings per capita rate in Washington, according to the Camas‑Washougal Post‑Record. Legal aid attorneys told the Post‑Record the surge reflects a widening gap between local incomes and rising rents, and that many tenants lack the resources to contest eviction cases. Council members argue that against that backdrop, keeping existing manufactured home parks intact is becoming a crucial part of the county’s broader housing stability strategy.
City moves and model policies
In the city of Vancouver, planners are working on a new zoning category specifically for mobile and manufactured home parks. City planner Bryan Snodgrass told OPB the concept is modeled on a Bellingham policy. A dedicated zoning label for parks would make it harder to approve rezones that shift the land to apartments or other uses, although it would not close the door on redevelopment entirely. Advocates argue that zoning tools need to be paired with financial supports and tenant organizing if the county hopes to keep long term homeowners in place.
How moratoria work under state law
Under Washington law, a local moratorium can run for up to six months, or up to one year if it is backed by a formal work plan. The statute also requires a public hearing on any adopted moratorium within 60 days. The framework is spelled out in RCW 36.70A.390. Any extension beyond the initial period has to be supported by written findings and must follow the public comment process laid out in state law.
How to follow the hearing
The council will take public testimony in person and online at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with meeting materials and livestream details available on the county’s Council meetings page. Residents who cannot attend can submit written comments to the council or watch CVTV’s stream to follow the debate and any vote the council takes that evening.
