Neighbors Fear Property Owner Will Turn Lot Into A Trailer Park

LAURIE, Mo. — As the Lake community grapples with a serious affordable-housing shortage, one property owner wants to add residences to a portion of a 30-acre plot in Laurie. But residents of the nearby Dunwurkin Village, located on Highway 5 across from Subway, are against the idea, worrying the property owner will put mobile homes there.

Property owner Drake Marine has asked the City of Laurie to rezone a 10-acre portion of his 30-acre property from Agricultural (A-1) to Residential (R-1). The rezoned area will abut two-thirds of the homes in the Dunwurkin Village subdivision.

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Laurie Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved (5-0) to recommend the rezone request. The City Board of Aldermen will make the final decision.

“They are bringing in junky trailers that will destroy our property values,” Dunwurkin resident Doug Gills said in an interview with Lake Expo. “They want to turn the 30-acres into a party studio for tourists,” Gills alleged.

According to Gills, the homes in the village have an estimated worth of between $175,000 to $300,000. Gills says he, and a majority of his neighbors, have concerns the developer has plans to bring in 20-plus mobile homes. Recently, trees have been bulldozed and one trailer has been moved near the property.

If approved and developed, the owner would be responsible to pay for connecting to city water and sewer. Gills said neighbors are concerned the alleged planned use for the property would put a strain on “an already inadequate water supply in the village.”

The decision will go before the Laurie Board of Aldermen at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14 at the Laurie City Hall.