On Tuesday, July 7, at 6:00 p.m., the Silver City Planning & Zoning Commission will hold a work session at the Grant County Administration Building to discuss a proposed Opportunity to Purchase (OTP) ordinance (see attached).
OTP and Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) are laws that give residents who rent property the first chance to buy it when sold. This prevents displacement, preserves affordable housing, ensures sellers receive a fair price, and removes the property from the speculative market.
OTP applies to manufactured home communities (MHCs) (aka mobile home parks) and gives land tenants the legal right to purchase their community land when it goes for sale. There are support organizations that make the doable.
Currently, when the community land is sold to investors, MHC homeowners often have no notice, no opportunity to buy, and no practical way to move their homes. Despite efforts, New Mexico does not yet offer statewide protections. Silver City has a chance to influence that.
Strong public support is crucial.
Please attend to make a difference. Please share this information with others.
If this proposal advances, it will move to Town Council.
Contact me with any questions or for more information.
Thank you for your support.
Joanne DeMichele
(575) 654-5469
