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The only mobile home park in Chesterfield seems out of place. Since it was built 50 years ago , glass-and- steel corporate headquarters and upscale subdivisions have slowly surrounded it. In a suburb that means big homes , new shopping centers and shiny office campuses to most St. Louisans, it’s a wonder there still is a place to park a trailer. But developers have turned their sights to the Chesterfield Mobile Home Park , where roughly 140 mobile homes offer some of the most affordable housing along the Highway 40 (Interstate 64) corridor. If the developers can rezone the land, residents could be forced to try and move their mobile homes. “This has been sitting here since 1987,” said resident Charlie Oakes , gesturing to the mobile home he lives in with his wife, Lisa Oakes. “We don’t know if it’s moveable or not.” Despite the political pitfalls of buying land out from under mobile home owners , some of whom may struggle to move their trailers, the developers’ int...

Michelle Labra and her daughter, Daphne, live in an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in their landlord's backyard. Portland has among the most permissive rules for ADUs in the country. Last year, the city issued building permits for about one a day. Amelia Templeton/OPB hide caption toggle caption Amelia Templeton/OPB Michelle Labra and her daughter, Daphne, live in an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in their landlord's backyard. Portland has among the most permissive rules for ADUs in the country. Last year, the city issued building permits for about one a day. Amelia Templeton/OPB Earlier this year, Michelle Labra got a notice that the rent on her family's two-bedroom apartment was doubling, from around $620 a month to more than $1,300. She worried she was being priced out of Portland and would have to move to the suburbs. But Labra, her husband and their two children didn't get pushed out of Cully, their North Portland neighborhood . They were able to stay by m...