Property in ‘Little Lake Tapps’ controversy accused of illegal mobile home park
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- County issued notice alleging prohibited mobile‑home/RV park use, solid‑waste violations.
- Blocked culvert on property caused South Tapps Road closure Dec. 13–Jan. 14.
- Manna Lake LLC appealed; enforcement and investigation are on hold pending hearing.
A Lake Tapps property at the center of a recent controversy is now facing allegations of toxic dumping and operating an illegal mobile home park.
In January, Pierce County Planning & Public Works issued a notice to correct to the Manna Lake LLC property, which is located at 5310 189th Ave. E.
The notice, which the county sent to the property owners on Jan. 13, accuses the company of improper solid waste storage and operating a prohibited mobile home park.
Christina Rohila, spokesperson for planning and public works, told The News Tribune the company appealed the notice, prompting the county to put its investigation on hold.
Manna Lake LLC became the center of controversy in December, after the atmospheric river event that caused flooding across the state. South Tapps Road East southwest of Maryann Drive East flooded, and county officials closed the road for more than a month.
The cause of the extended closure, according to county officials? A blocked culvert on the Manna Lake LLC property.
Shortly after, a Lake Tapps resident started a change.org petition accusing the property owners of dumping asbestos into wetlands, blocking the creek that goes into Hidden Lake, and operating a “high density RV encampment.”
The petition also alleges that a tenant “tragically died in an unpermitted unit described by inspectors as an ‘electrical nightmare.’”
Rohila told The News Tribune the county has not been able to verify if the asbestos or tenant death claims are true.
“Our staff have not been able to verify either of those claims,” Rohila wrote in an email to The News Tribune. “Though, we are reaching out to partner agencies to determine whether they had any response at that location involving a reported death.”
The News Tribune reached out to John Hofer, property manager of the property, who said the accusations are not true.
“People go online and they just make these statements and they throw our name around but they don’t do any investigation of their own to make sure they’re saying the right thing,” Hofer told The News Tribune. “They say stuff that’s not true, and that’s what you’re seeing.”
Hofer declined to share more information, saying the company is looking into legal action.
“The attorneys have forbid us to say anything until we get the contact information about who is posting this stuff,” Hofer said.
The News Tribune used change.org’s media inquiry form to reach out to the petition starter, whose name is merely listed as “Tapps…” on the website. The petition starter did not respond by deadline.
‘Little Lake Tapps’
Officials closed South Tapps Road East southwest of Maryann Drive East on Dec. 13, 2025 and didn’t reopen it until Jan. 14. Connor Davis, a spokesperson for Pierce County, told The News Tribune the closure was because of a blocked culvert on the Manna Lake LLC property.
“As water receded throughout the region, South Tapps Road East remained inundated due to a blocked culvert on a private property adjacent to the road, which caused water to pool,” Davis wrote in an email to The News Tribune. “... Our team required permission from the owner to access their property in order to conduct a pumping operation to remove water from the road. Once permission was received, Planning and Public Works began the pumping operation on Jan. 7.”
Davis said the county “closely inspected roadway conditions during this operation to ensure it was safe for traffic” before reopening the road.
The long-term road closure led neighbors to call the flood zone “Little Lake Tapps.”
‘Stop the toxic nightmare’
It is unclear when the change.org petition – which is titled “Stop the Toxic Nightmare on W. Tapps & 189th Ave E: Asbestos, Flooding & Illegal Housing” – became public. The earliest update was published on Jan. 8, but change.org does not list the date the petition went live.
The petition accuses Manna Lake LLC of “unpermitted grading and dirt dumping,” which the user alleges caused the flooding problem.
“[It has] blocked the area’s natural watercourses. This blockage has created a stagnant flood zone on a public county road (S. Tapps Dr. E & Maryann Dr. E), locally mocked as ‘Little Lake Tapps,’” the petition says. “This is not just a nuisance; it is the result of destroying a protected waterway.”
Later, the petition claims Manna Lake LLC operated an illegal mobile home park.
“While the property is taxed as a simple ‘Duplex,’ it is operating as an unpermitted 30+ unit commercial RV park. County records confirm that a tenant tragically died in an unpermitted unit described by inspectors as an ‘electrical nightmare,’” the petition says. “Despite this fatality, the owner installed infrastructure for even more illegal units.”
The petition also accuses Manna Lake LLC of:
- Sewage and groundwater contamination, claiming the RVs are parked with “no means of sewage disposal,” which could lead to raw sewage being dumped on the ground.
- Dumping 30 truckloads of “dirt containing ‘KNOWN ASBESTOS’ from a demolished fire station” in its wetlands.
There are 979 signatures on the petition as of Feb. 18.
When The News Tribune reached out to Hofer, he declined to comment about most of these accusations because the company is seeking legal action against the petition starter – however, he did address the accusations of dumping asbestos.
“One thing I am going to tell you, a serious situation, somebody posted something saying that we dumped a bunch of asbestos, toxic material on the property that blocked up the pond and that’s what caused all the flooding out here,” Hofer said. “That is an absolute lie. The county went out to pump the water because the road was flooded on the corner, they tested the water to make sure it was safe before they started pumping, and the water was totally clean. So, whoever’s posting this stuff online is just making stories up and just lying about everything.”
What did the county find?
On Jan. 13, county executive Ryan Mello sent an email to residents saying they were investigating the property. He also said there have been reports about this property dating back to 2023, but the county has faced challenges in conducting a proper investigation.
“We are aware of reported issues associated with this property, including allegations of unpermitted construction, the establishment of a mobile home or RV park, and grading and filling activities,” Mello wrote. “... County staff have experienced challenges gaining access to the property from the owner, limiting our ability to confirm the reported conditions. In 2023, staff sent notification letters to the property owners but did not receive consent to conduct site inspections. That limitation has kept several complaints open as attempts to investigate continue.”
Mello then said the county takes these reports seriously and will continue to investigate.
“We are pursuing alternative avenues to verify conditions from nearby public areas or neighboring properties so the County can determine appropriate enforcement action,” Mello wrote. “If violations are confirmed, the property owner may be cited and required to correct the issues. If it is determined that illegal fill or grading caused damage to public infrastructure, including roadways, the responsible property owner may be held liable for repair costs. This determination is made based on the findings of the investigation and applicable county codes, and cost recovery is pursued through the appropriate enforcement or legal processes.”
Also on Jan. 13, the county mailed a Notice and Order to Correct to the property owners. The document lists four alleged property violations:
- Improper solid waste storage/accumulation on the property.
- Operating a prohibited mobile home park.
- Operating a prohibited recreational vehicle (RV) park.
- “Occupying, and/or allowing occupancy of, a recreational vehicle/travel trailer on the properties for more than 14 days” without the proper permit.
In the notice, the county said the property is zoned “rural,” which means it cannot ever operate as a mobile home park. An RV park would be allowed if the owners had an approved conditional use permit from the county, and allowing an RV or travel trailer on the property for more than 14 days would be allowed with an approved temporary use permit from the county.
The county claimed the owners do not have either of those permits.
“Within the last 12 months, multiple occupied recreational vehicles/travel trailers have been on the subject parcels beyond 14 days without Pierce County approval (via an issued TUP),” the county wrote.
In a section called “how to correct the violation(s),” the county ordered the company to:
- “Properly store/dispose of all solid waste accumulation, including any junk vehicles.”
- Stop operating a mobile home park.
- Stop operating an RV park, or apply for a conditional use permit.
- Prohibit anyone from living in a travel trailer/recreational vehicle for more than 14 days without a temporary use permit.
“All prohibited travel trailers/recreational vehicles must be removed from the properties,” the county wrote.
The county gave the company until Feb. 13 to resolve the violations or apply for the required permits.
Failure to comply could result in the county issuing civil penalties of $1,000 per day after the deadline if the company fails to address the violations, the notice said. The county could also pursue a court order that would allow the county to come onto the property and remediate the violations.
The News Tribune reached out to Hofer for comment again after reading through the county’s notice to correct. Hofer did not respond before deadline.
What happens now?
The notice to correct gave the company the option to appeal, as long as the company submitted an appeal form within 14 business days.
Rohila confirmed to The News Tribune that the company requested an appeal, and now the next step is for a hearing under the Pierce County Hearing Examiner.
“The property owner has appealed the Notice and Order to Correct, and a hearing before the Hearing Examiner will be scheduled, likely in mid-April or later,” Rohila wrote in an email to The News Tribune on Feb. 13. “While the appeal is pending, enforcement activity and the investigation are on hold.”
