In a coastal market where affordable housing is increasingly out of reach, one West Ocean City developer says he’s found a solution: a mobile home community that not only blends low price points with upscale amenities, but where neighbors know your name.
Mark Odachowski is the developer behind the community he calls Salt Life, a 92-home mobile home park in West Ocean City. The new two-bedroom homes, around 1,200 square feet each, are priced in the $200,000s – a rarity in the current resort housing market.
“Obviously, the economy, inflation and all that’s impacted all of us, no matter where you live,” Odachowsi said at a June 20 ribbon cutting attended by friends and local government officials, including Congressman Andy Harris.
“But West Ocean City is a high sought-after area,” he added, “and affordability is difficult for many factors. So, we’ve strived very hard to have the most affordable, best community with five-star amenities, and I think we’ve achieved it.”
The project connects an existing adjacent parcel of 58 mobile homes on Old Bridge Road (Route 707), renovated to include new water and sewer connections, with another 34 newly manufactured homes. It’s all built around a clubhouse, pool, and retaining pond.
It took him 18 months to get to this point, with crews working seven days a week.
“We felt that it was a trailer park when we obtained it,” Odachoswki said, “and now it’s a mobile home community. And if there’s ever a distinction between a trailer park and mobile home community, this is it. This isn’t a trailer park. … I think we are the model for what a good, quality, well-run mobile home community can be.”
The Odachoswki’s are good people and quite an asset to the community.
Says they.