BRYAN, TEXAS PLANNING & ZONING PROPOSES BAN ON MANUFACTURED HOMES IN THE CITY
“Affordable housing transcends our ability to zone it into existence” (Don Charles, QuoteHD)
The quintessential unique American dream of homeownership is seemingly slipping away, or delayed indefinitely, as a result of the acute lack of available affordable homes for low to middle-income citizens, becoming a major concern for local housing authorities across the country.
Some of these jurisdictions have begun to realize, often reluctantly, that the only logical quality affordable homeownership remaining is today’s modern manufactured home, which exceeds criteria defining what quality affordable and desired housing represents.
Unfortunately for many hard-working American families, there are many local planning and zoning commission and city council officials that refuse to acknowledge manufactured housing as a vital source of homeownership, preferring instead, working with developers to produce high density rental housing or continuing to support the construction of on-site housing that most of their constituents will not be able to afford. An extreme example of the latter is the City of Bryan, Texas.
Plan Would Phase Out All Manufactured Homes From Traditional Residential Communities
Facing shouting residents, fireworks, and hours of public comment, the Bryan, Texas Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Thursday night, March 29th, to recommend a proposal to the City Council that phases out manufactured homes from traditional residential communities; reports local NBC affiliate KAGS-TV.
The proposal, now before the City Council, would ban the installation of manufactured homes in portions of Single Member Districts 1 and 2. Manufactured homes could still be installed in the city’s mobile home parks.
Under the proposal, existing mobile homes in residential areas could be replaced once more. After that, the property would no longer allow for a manufactured home.
“No ones is getting kicked out of their mobile homes,” said Jody Rodriguez, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission who helped create the plan. “The effects of this won’t be seen for 50 years,” Rodriguez added, referring to the life of two average mobile homes, as allowed the proposal. “This is a glacial transition.”
City Says Goal Is To Transition Manufactured Homes Out Of Certain Areas And Replace Them With — Affordable Housing !!
Opponents of the proposed restriction on manufactured homes said it will limit low-income housing options. Some residents say manufactured homes are the only accommodations they can afford.
Manufactured home residents in the meeting felt they were being segmented out of residential neighbors and their chosen, affordable homes from places in the city.
“Clearly this is going to limit access to low-income housing,” said one resident who spoke in the meeting, “The reason I was able to stop being homeless was because of a manufactured home.”
“The economy is fixing to get worse and we need to keep this mixed zoning so we can do something with my property,” said one man.
The City points to statistics that say more than 80% of manufactured homes in Bryan are rented. They say their goal is to transition manufactured homes out of certain areas and replace them with much needed affordable housing.
“What we are hearing from the citizens are ‘what are our options,’” said Rodriguez. “The city has allotted $300,000 for the city to try and acquire lots and incentivize builders to put affordable houses on the ground.”
