Hunter
01/29/26
A long-awaited meeting between Havenpark Communities, the owners of mobile home parks in the area, and two Johnson County supervisors took place in Iowa City this week.
The Gazette reports the meeting was the result of months of letters back and forth between the supervisors and Havenpark, attempting to plan a discussion to address mobile home park resident concerns over water quality and rent increases. All parties involved said the meeting was constructive and hopefully the first of other meetings to come.
The supervisors got involved last May, at the request of the Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition, which works with Johnson County Residents United (JCRU). The groups said communication with Havenpark had been inconsistent.
Water quality and availability were at the top of the issues discussed, after manganese was detected in the drinking water at Modern Manor on two different occasions, and Lakeridge Estates has had issues with brown water coming out of faucets.
Rent increases of up to 50 percent and a reduction in services has also been a concern.
- Fixmer-Oraiz, one of the supervisors who met with Havenpark, said they are cautiously optimistic about future interactions and hope to have a future meeting that includes residents. Supervisor Rod Sullivan added that thought Havenpark representatives heard the concerns and they said they’d try to do better.