Mobile home subdivision breaks residential mold

For the first time in the city limits of Cape Girardeau, people will be able to buy the land on which they place their manufactured home.

The streets and sewers are already in place for a 24-acre manufactured home subdivision, called Cape West Village, tucked behind Bud Shell's Auto World and Wieser Honda on Siemers Drive.

The development, owned by Drury Southwest Inc., will have room for approximately 70 lots.

According to Larry Westrich, vice president of Drury Southwest, the subdivision will be like any other subdivision in the city, only this one will consist of manufactured homes.

"You've got your concrete streets, your sidewalks and your own lots," he said.

Westrich said what makes the subdivision different from mobile home parks is that homeowners will be able to buy the property, although Drury will lease some of the lots.

"If you go out and try to finance a manufactured home that's going to be put on a piece of leased real estate, people are paying 11 percent interest," Westrich said. "If you've got a place that you own, you can get them in the seven-to-eight percent range."

The lots will vary in size and be comparable to the lot sizes in R-2 single-family zoning, with all of the lots being greater than 7,000 square feet.

On these lots will sit 1,400 to 1,800 square-foot homes that sell for up to $100,000. Lot prices will be between $21,000 and $27,000.

"Manufactured homes today are not what they were 10 years ago," Westrich said. "People will be able to have a 1,400 square-foot home and own the property for about $85,000."

Keeping order

The subdivision will also come with a strict covenant. All the homes will be required to have vinyl siding, brick or block skirting, a carport or closed-in garage. There will also be cleanliness and maintenance standards.

The subdivision has one home in place now and two more will be set up in the next two weeks, Westrich said. Drury is hoping the development will harmonize with its manufactured home sales. The company owns D-Mart Mobile Homes, a large manufactured home sales facility in Fruitland, Mo.

Drury initiated development of the subdivision by extending Richmond Drive as well as constructing Champion Drive and the northern sections of Hart Drive and Chandelier Drive. Six-inch water lines also were constructed as well as 8-inch sewer lines. The subdivision streets are 30 feet wide.

The property was annexed by the city and rezoned to MH-1, Mobile Home Park District in February 2000.

City planner Kent Bratton said there were no hang-ups in approving the subdivision.

"Our primary concern was that everything was done to city standards and they were," he said. "It was just like any subdivision -- it took a while to get done. But there were no problems."

The new neighborhood will be totally surrounded by commercial properties -- mostly car dealerships -- and Interstate 55. But Drury did build a levy to visually block the subdivision from the businesses.

"As a dealership, it's not going to hurt us," said Phillip Wilson, assistant manager at Bud Shell's Auto World.

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127