National Communities Council Spring Forum
Tuesday, April 7 | 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
The National Communities Council Spring Forum is a premier event designed for manufactured home community owners and operators, offering valuable insights into industry trends and best practices. In addition to delivering content tailored to community owners and operators of all sizes, the event fosters meaningful networking opportunities with industry peers. If you’re involved with manufactured home communities as an owner/operator, service provider, lender, or consultant, this event is for you!
| Registration Rates | Early Bird (By March 5) | Regular (By April 2) | Onsite |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCC Spring Forum Add-on Member (Must be purchased with C&E Registration) | $229 | $279 | $459 |
| NCC Spring Forum Add-on Non-Member (Must be purchased with C&E Registration) | $279 | $329 | $459 |
This event is an add-on event to the 2026 MHI Congress & Expo and requires a separate registration fee. Forum attendees must be also be registered for Congress & Expo to participate.
Schedule of Events
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Excellence in Action: Insights from MHI’s Community Award Winners
This moderated panel brings together MHI’s 2026 Community Award winners to discuss what excellence looks like in today’s land‑lease community environment. Award winners will share how they think about community culture, operational excellence, and long‑term value creation. The session offers real-world examples of what it takes to manage successful communities, meet the evolving expectations of residents, and deliver sustained performance across diverse markets.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
The Policy Landscape for Land-Lease Communities: Legislative Battles, Priorities, and What’s Next
Moderator: Dr. Lesli Gooch, Chief Executive Officer, Manufactured Housing Institute
Mark Asnes, Chief Executive Officer, Freehold Real Estate (NCC Board Member, President of the Connecticut Manufactured Housing Association)
Jody Gabel, General Counsel, Flagship Communities REIT (NCC Chair)
Nick Hoisington, Partner, SMGB Law (MHI Outside Counsel)
In this panel, experts will examine key state and federal policy developments impacting land-lease communities, including the forces driving current legislative activity, how MHI’s advocacy approach is changing, and the outlook for the year ahead. The conversation will highlight MHI’s efforts to partner with state associations to protect and elevate the land-lease community model, including engagement on tenant-protection legislation, right-of-first-refusal proposals, and other community-related legislative initiatives.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Networking Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
What Residents Are Saying: New Research on Land‑Lease Communities
George Passantino, Managing Partner, Passantino Andersen Communications, LLC
As policy debates increasingly focus on manufactured housing communities, understanding resident perspectives has never been more important. In this session, George Passantino will share results from recent research examining residents living in land‑lease communities, including what they value most, how they view amenities and services, and the issues that matter most to their quality of life. This community‑specific research provides powerful data to elevate the land‑lease community model, inform industry decision-making, and support MHI’s advocacy efforts by grounding policy discussions in credible, community‑specific data rather than anecdotes.
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Legal Trends and Regulatory Pressures Impacting Manufactured Housing Communities
Moderator: Jim Ayotte, Executive Director (retired), Florida Manufactured Housing Association
Spenser Templeton, Partner, SMGB Law (MHI Outside Counsel)
Matt Webb, General Counsel, 21st Mortgage Corporation (MHI Finance Lawyers Committee Chair)
Moderated by a respected industry champion with nearly three decades of experience in manufactured housing, this session brings together MHI’s go-to legal experts to discuss the most pressing legal issues affecting manufactured housing communities today. Panelists will examine recent bankruptcy cases, proposals to reclassify manufactured homes as real property, and ongoing challenges posed by exclusionary zoning and land‑use policies. The discussion will highlight MHI’s advocacy priorities in each area and how coordinated engagement can help protect the manufactured housing model and secure meaningful policy wins to move the industry forward.
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Networking Break
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Current Community Financing, Sales Trends & Market Outlook
Moderator: Bill Raffoul, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Investments, Sun Communities, Inc. (NCC Immediate Past Board Chair)
James Cook, President, Yale Realty & Capital Advisors
Art Tuverson, Managing Director, Head of Manufactured Housing, Berkadia
What’s happening in the market today? Are financing sources tightening or loosening requirements? What are the current conditions for buying, selling, and refinancing communities? Gain insights from leading lenders and brokers as they discuss investment activity, capital availability, and the broader market forces shaping today’s transaction environment.
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