Affordable Housing in St. Mary’s
Originally Published: October 12, 2023
Mobile home parks have been systematically downsized over the past 30 years, shrinking the inventory of affordable housing. Today, developers explain, pricing is “market driven” based on inventory availability and income rates. The truth is, one form of affordable housing was present for decades to serve the Navy. Housing should cost about 30% of gross income. If the average rental price is $1600, someone would need to make at least $60K a year to afford rent. That puts many at risk of not being able to afford to live in St Mary’s County.
Changes in the 1990s began the slow ebb of mobile homes in St. Mary’s. A Washington Post article, “Area Housing Boom Drives Out Mobile Homes,” from 2002, reports the county “lost more than 1,000 manufactured homes in the 1990s” when trailer parks were “overtaken by commercial and suburban growth.”
“Homes to Go, Not Gone Just Yet,” a December 2004 article in The Enterprise, describes some history surrounding mobile homes in St. Mary’s. An employee from the County Department of Land Use and Growth Management (LUGM) said trailers were “the type of housing common around military installations because [they are] cheap and compact…A place like Lexington Park is similar to what’s outside of Fort Meade and Aberdeen.” As the Navy moved in and built Lexington Park to serve its workforce, mobile homes were affordable options for those just starting out. Veterans and civil servants who didn’t want to live on base found mobile home parks a viable solution. They were high density housing for a rapidly growing city.
“St Mary’s didn’t distinguish between mobile homes and any other single-family residence until 2002, when it restricted them to ‘planned urban developments’ [PUD] and rural areas where a lot must be 5 acres,” according to an April 2004 article in The Baltimore Sun. One woman, frustrated by the redevelopment of the mobile park where she lived, said “you have a mortgage so you’re still responsible for the home regardless of what happens to the park.” A stereotypical image of a trailer park might call to mind run down homes in areas with crime. But these articles tell a different story, one of tight knit communities with long-term residents who are happy where they are and others just starting out with a goal of moving on some day. It was the 2002 County Commissioners–Tommy McKay, Kenny Dement, Thomas Mattingly, Larry Jarboe, Dan Raley–who approved changes to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance that largely, but not completely, prohibited trailer parks.
Decisions made in the early 2000s likely occurred in preparation for the 2005 BRAC assessment. The Enterprise published “Often Divided, Officials Agree on Protecting Base” in December 2004, describing a split Commissioner Board with different ideas, except where BRAC was concerned. County government purchased the 84 acre Lexington Manor (the Flat Tops) for $15M to protect the Base from encroachment. Discussions over new school locations, needed because of capacity issues, were divided. Tommy McKay pushed for a school located on Indian Bridge Road, where he had been “involved in the deal for a land swap for state land…for a new elementary school,” according to The Enterprise. Meanwhile, Thomas Mattingly was eyeing a Leonardtown location for a new school. These talks, and others regarding development in the California/Lexington Park/Great Mills area, formed the basis of the County’s BRAC strategy. The newspaper reaffirmed the Commissioner’s commitment to readying the County for the Pentagon’s judgment.
LUGM, with Commissioner approval, changed the zoning ordinance in 2002 eliminating the mobile home (MHP) zoning use. After, mobile homes were only permitted in parks with available lots or on a rural five acre property. Parks had limited lot availability, a problem that has grown worse today. Any new mobile home park requires approval as a PUD. The scope of a PUD includes commercial space, hundreds or thousands of homes, schools, and road, sewer and utility infrastructure. Coincidentally, another PUD–Stewart’s Grant–was approved around the same time, in the early 2000s, after the County Commissioners, led by McKay, struck a deal with the developers for the donation of a new school site to become Carver Elementary. The school was built 20 years ago, while the Stewart’s Grant PUD only came back for final concept approval this year.
Residents from National and White Oaks trailer parks, forced to relocate, faced a steep challenge. An Enterprise editorial from May 2007 explained that dozens of households would have to move and “there won’t be any more” trailer parks in the County. Even if they found a place to go, the editorial notes, estimates to move a trailer were up to $18K. New land owners offered vouchers worth $3100 to residents for moving assistance. By August 2007, the County Commissioners–Jack Russell, Kenny Dement, Thomas Mattingly, Larry Jarboe, Dan Raley–secured $385K in state and federal grant funding for moving assistance. The Enterprise, in November 2007, reported 82 residents still needed help. Dividing the $385K equally amounts to $4700 per household. Combined with the $3100 from new land owners, each resident would still fall far short of the cost estimates.
Over a decade later, in 2015, the County Commissioners–Tom Jarboe, Mike Hewitt, John O’Connor, Todd Morgan, Randy Guy–repealed “Chapter 136 - Trailers” of the St. Mary’s County Code. The chapter was irrelevant after the 2002 zoning change. Speaking at a 2015 Commissioner meeting, Phil Shire, then Director of LUGM, said “we’ve zoned out mobile home parks a decade ago. We took the MHP zoning and made them all residential high density and rendered them nonconforming uses. As with other nonconforming uses, the intent was to phase them out, and a good bit of them have been phased out.”
Twenty three trailer parks existed in 2004, the fifth highest in the state, with nearly 1300 individual lots. Lord Calvert, across from Great Mills High School, is one of the few remaining and it is still at risk. Property owner Cherry Cove plans a development there called “East Run,” partially completed with the construction of the Medstar building and, more recently, the 7-Eleven. In November 2012, The Enterprise covered the newly announced development and relocation of Lord Calvert residents. The original plan called for 500 apartments in two five story buildings, however the updated version shows 13 apartment buildings with between 30-40 apartments each. There is also a large area for about 130 single family homes. At the time, 6.1% of all homes in St. Mary’s were mobile homes, with Lord Calvert being the largest trailer park.
Trailer parks once stood where Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, BJs, and the Great Mills Pool are now located. Of the 23 still standing in 2004, less than 10 now remain by my estimation. What happened to those who couldn’t find a new lot for their home is anyone's guess. Affordable housing is managed by the St. Mary’s County Housing Authority, a body tasked with dispersing Section 8 rental assistance, providing low interest loans to homeowners needing home repairs, and more. The Housing Authority was once part of the county government.
In the mid 90’s, County Administrator Aleck Loker, formerly the director of Economic Development, suggested the Housing Authority split from the Department of Economic Development. Loker’s reason for the change, according to The Enterprise, was “because housing takes up too much of the director’s time.” The agency operates independently, releasing the County from any legal liability, and responsibility for ensuring the Housing Authority’s success. February 1996 saw the approval of the separation, with the Housing Authority and the County Commissioners–Barbara Thompson, Paul Chesser, Christian Brugman, Larry Jarboe, and Frances Eagan–agreeing to the terms.
It’s unclear whether the Housing Authority still receives funding from the County. Budget documents available online from 2018 to present do not list the Housing Authority as a funded entity. The non-profit has had a message on its website since November 2022, stating the housing waitlist is closed. During the February 2023 Commissioner meeting, the Housing Authority’s new Executive Director, who officially started in January, told the Commissioners the waitlist had over 3100 people who could face up to a 10 year wait. The Executive Director left in March.
Affordable housing is a complicated issue in every community. NAS PAX employs a huge portion of the workforce. However, we also have a second economy, a service economy which is necessary to support the NAS PAX economy, and the County. We need employees in food, retail, trade, education, and sales who are paid a living wage and can actually afford to live in this area. Right now, that is not the case. Homeownership is a key asset in building generational wealth, which is necessary in breaking the poverty cycle.
The preceding information about mobile home parks illustrates how decisions made by multiple people over decades can have huge impacts. With the elimination of mobile home parks, there are less opportunities for homeownership. The County has reached a point where zoning changes have restricted the ability for people to find affordable housing. Now, this issue must be proactively addressed. As a community, we should be concerned about the Housing Authority, and of the overall lack of affordable housing in the area. The Housing Authority is missing an Executive Director, and there are issues with the effectiveness of its work. It would be a grave mistake for the County Government to overlook the importance of the Housing Authority’s role in helping all segments of our population afford to live in St. Mary’s.
