Pawleys Island / Georgetown & Horry Counties, SC
After negotiations with new owner, North Charleston mobile home residents have more time to relocate (Postandcourier)
Summary: Residents of Ferndale Mobile Home Park in North Charleston have secured a two-month extension and $70,000 in relocation assistance after forming a tenant union and negotiating with the new landowner, New Tide LLC. The original May 31 deadline was extended to July 22, and the funds will be distributed through an undisclosed third-party nonprofit. The agreement applies only to union members, highlighting the leverage collective action can provide in a market where moving a mobile home can cost $8,000 or more and zoning restrictions limit available lots. The new owner, Antonio Ribeiro, had previously offered $1,500 per household and three months of free lot rent, but residents argued that was insufficient given the logistical and financial hurdles of relocation.
Why it matters: This case illustrates the growing tension between redevelopment pressure and the vulnerability of mobile home residents, a pattern that will increasingly affect coastal and suburban communities as land values rise.
Context: Mobile home parks are a critical source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the Southeast, but residents often own their homes while renting the land, leaving them exposed when property is sold for redevelopment.
"Transporting the mobile home can cost at least $5,000, plus an additional $3,000 to hook up at the new property. Finding a place to move it is increasingly difficult, especially in North Charleston where zoning rules restrict where mobile homes can be placed." — POSTANDCOURIER
Commentary: The Ferndale deal is a modest win for tenant organizing, but the structural problem remains: mobile home residents are asset-rich and location-poor, and zoning codes rarely accommodate their housing type. Expect more such conflicts as infill development pushes into older suburban and exurban parks, and watch whether South Carolina’s legislature responds with relocation protections or preemption of local zoning restrictions.
Date: Tue, 02 Jun 2026 05:00:00 -0400
URL: https://www.postandcourier.com/charleston_sc/ferndale-mobile-home-agreement-north-charleston/article_dfd5277e-a39b-499f-91e2-afa2b3f846d6.html
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