Zoning Will Make this Elderly Woman Homeless

In the name of “zoning,” the City of Sierra Vista, Arizona, is attempting to kick some residents out of their homes in the middle of a pandemic. Amanda Root has called Sierra Vista, in southeast Arizona, home for more than 20 years. In the late 90’s, Amanda acquired a small lot in the then “Cloud 9 Mobile Home Park.” Amanda lived in a mobile home there, on her own property, all of which she owned free-and-and clear, for many years without any problems.

In 2016, Amanda’s home burned to the ground, leaving her temporarily homeless. But through the generosity of friends, in 2017, Amanda was given a park trailer to put on her property to live in. Amanda was back home. And she never wanted to leave again.

For years, Amanda and other neighbors lived in similar homes without any problems. For them—as with all of us, especially during COVID-19—their homes are their castles, and their sanctuaries. But in July 2020—during the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic and out of the blue—the city of Sierra Vista tried to kick Amanda and the others out of their homes and off their property. And the city gave them just 30 days to leave. There was no hearing or appeal offered.

There is no health or safety reason for kicking Amanda out of her home. The home is perfectly safe, and the city has never claimed otherwise. Rather the city says that Amanda lives in an “RV” instead of a “manufactured home.” To be clear, it is perfectly legal to live in an “RV” in Sierra Vista. The city just says Amanda cannot have an RV on the property she owns. Why? Because of the technicalities of the city’s zoning laws. As Amanda learned, zoning laws regulate even the minutest detail of our lives, and can be the difference, as here, between having a home of your own and being homeless.

Now, Amanda and her neighbors are teaming up with the Institute for Justice to sue the city and protect their RV homes. No one should be made homeless in the name of zoning.