Mobile home subdivision gets City Council okay
By SHANNON CRABTREE newsdesk@leader-news.com

Adding its blessing to the one already supplied by the Planning & Zoning Commission, City Council approved the preliminary plat for a mobile home subdivision on El Campo's southeast side.

But not without expressing concerns as to its location.

The 5-2 vote, with Mayor Philip Spenrath and Councilman Kenneth Martin against, will allow a developer to proceed with plans for a 16- lot mobile home subdivision.

The plan is to put each lot up for sale - not to develop a mobile home park, according to City Building Official Andy Waligura.

The area is already zoned R-2, which would allow for the placement of mobile homes.

The site is in the Mayes Addition bounded on three sides by Lynner, East Alfred and Julia streets.

The location drew concern from Council.

"To me, this is our gateway," Spenrath said. "If a bunch of single-wide trailers are lined up there, we've defeated our purpose."

Councilman Robert Boone, however, said this may be one of the few uses for the land which lies in the flood plain.

"I think we need to do something with this property," Boone said.

The developer will have to place water and sewer lines before returning to City Council with a final land plat.

The question, City Attorney Ronny Collins said, should not be whether to allow mobile homes since the land is already zoned for them, but rather whether mobile homes would create too dense of a population there.

Council voted to allow the project to proceed.

The site is just north of Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and east of a proposed hotel.