In a landmark ruling last week, the California Court of Appeal
held that park owners and residents in coastal manufactured housing
communities must obtain permits from the California Coastal
Commission (CCC), as well as from the state Department of Housing
and Community Development (HCD), before undertaking any activities
that are considered “development.” Under the broad
standards applied to activities in the coastal zone, even the
rehabilitation or replacement of a mobile home is considered
“development” requiring permitting from the notoriously
assertive coastal authority.
In the case just decided, the CCC ordered residents who had
added second stories to their homes to demolish the renovations,
even though the residents had obtained permits from HCD. Had it not
been for a technical timing error by the CCC, the court could have
upheld an order to demolish.
