40 Acres and a View
Bob Stark’s “life’s work” comes to fruition in Chalfant
A 45-parcel manufactured home subdivision is being developed near Chalfant Valley. The principal on the project, Bob Stark of Tumbleweed Homes, said this could be the last large-scale housing development on the Eastside because there is so little land left to build on.
This project, dubbed White Mountain Estates Phase II, has been in the works for more than 13 years. Stark submitted an application to develop the 70-acre site in the southeast corner of Mono County in 2004. Four years into the project, the nation’s housing market and economy collapsed. The project was put on hold until this year, when Stark thought the market could support the development.
There are 45 manufactured home lots; 30 on half-acre lots and 15 that are a little larger than a half-acre, Stark explained. The entire parcel is 70 acres but only 40 or so are developable, so the leftover acreage will be used as communal open space. It’s located uphill from White Mountain Estates Phase I.
Every lot has a view of the Sierra Nevada to the west, along with pre-installed water, power, propane, and telephone connections. The land is included in the price of the sale. The homes will be built to order. Homes will go up as plots sell, and Stark expects that once they do, there will not be a lot of inventory to choose from at the site.
The manufactured homes can be outfitted with custom cabinets, crown molding, granite countertops and two-tray ceilings, all for an additional price. Stark claims he’s selling the upgrades at cost. A 3-bedroom, 2-bath home, 15,000-18,000 square feet, will be priced in the $350,000 range, including the land on which it sits. The final price will be determined by the size of the home desired, extra built-in features, and the results of an upcoming appraisal. Stark is working on finishing the first home, and its appraisal will better define the price point for the other houses.
