At a City Council meeting, owners of Taylorsville's three mobile-home parks protested two ordinances that would have updated mobile-home zoning and put it in place on the three communities.

Susan Walter, representing the owners of Monte Vista, said the city's move would lower the value of the land and constitute a property "taking."

Although there are no immediate plans to sell Monte Vista, she said during a public hearing, "we do not agree . . . with being saddled with a down-zoning that provides no other use for the property" besides mobile homes.

The City Council asked City Attorney John Brems to write a legal opinion about whether changing the property's land-use designation qualifies as a taking. The council plans to consider the ordinances again on Jan. 23.

Council Chairman Jerry Rechtenbach said he doubted a zoning change would hinder future development of the property.

It would, however, buy mobile-home owners more time to relocate - possibly up to a year - while a park owner applied for a new zoning, such as commercial or office.

"The city is not trying to do anything except protect the residents [of mobile-home parks] and make whatever happens in the future fair to them," Rechtenbach said.

Under state law, park owners only have to give residents a 90-day eviction notice. Rep. Phil Riesen, D-Holladay, is sponsoring a bill this year that would extend the notice to 180 days and require a 365-day notice if the park is going to close because of a change in land use.

Taylorsville's City Council also discussed waiting to see the outcome of the bill before re-zoning mobile home parks.

rwinters@sltrib.com