[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6288453,"mediaKeyId","2539294-c8f4973b8ddddb754e7f21e8f09233a5","parentId",2539294,"title","Manufactured homes and building-code limits spotlighted as part of broader housing affordability discussion","audioSeconds",401,"startMs",2871069,"endMs",3272615,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2539294-c8f4973b8ddddb754e7f21e8f09233a5&start=2871&end=3272","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2539294-c8f4973b8ddddb754e7f21e8f09233a5/thumbnail_2871069.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6288453/Michigan/Manufactured-homes-and-building-code-limits-spotlighted-as-part-of-broader-housing-affordability-discussion","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6288453-ef014b58082e8557ae00a8ffd6aae683/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184210&Signature=ofMURAcXe6yr8M1ZfTI69vk1NXRUP8OoK3HTllfZt-o4GdVKvMqQihxg7eQ1Vt3R4AhbplIV~1m7Kymewj92z5RkKBCHqhpgM4Wo3~aj49VEqGsUY403u9zWNadgMpgOd0YmkvQukq8GhtW93XMOilUu0wD6PzxP3YHZUoWA7T1XPup4lnEaU30VhZkYB1B787e2tTnNTy6gwUEQ3BLLcE~V2eVeQYEZP9wEkgBIvKSX0C-Q6xX4wCDK1U7dMlBm45nruJCaos6UVzIitIzjkBIwhv851ciH9MuzvR3BIkyp0Rxce-zH62nohXGOZjYEu~dvUm6Qc31erQaAYRIxag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Michigan House of Representatives","date","2025-03-06T00:00:00Z","article","Manufactured-housing advocates and builders urged the Regulatory Reform Committee to ease zoning and regulatory barriers that they say limit affordable housing supply.

John Lindley, president and CEO of the Michigan Manufactured Housing Association, told the committee manufactured and modular homes are an underused source of attainable housing that can be delivered faster and at lower cost than many site-built homes. Lindley and Marge Burns, owner of Germano Management, said modern factory-built homes meet federally required HUD standards and state construction codes and can cost substantially less than comparable site-built houses. Lindley noted the association represents about 650 members across the supply chain; Burns said her firm manages two manufactured housing communities that together serve about 880 households.

Lindley cited statistics from a presentation and video included with the testimony: the average price of a new manufactured home in Michigan in 2023 was about $112,000; the median price of a single-family site-built home was described in the presentation as nearly $275,000. The video also said factory-built homes shelter nearly half a million Michiganders; Lindley later said manufactured homes provide homeownership opportunities for about 250,000 Michiganders. He and Burns asked the Legislature to use incentives and zoning reforms to broaden where factory-built housing can be placed and to correct local rules that effectively exclude such homes.

Speakers described common local barriers: zoning rules that impose minimum lot sizes, minimum home footprints, mandated roof pitches or baselines for basement construction, or outright exclusion of manufactured homes. Lindley and Burns said those rules can force developers into litigation or lengthy appeals and block communities that would accept manufactured housing.

The Home Builders Association of Michigan (HBA Michigan) followed with bipartisan testimony about the state's housing shortage and the regulatory drivers of cost. Dawn Crandall, HBA Michigan executive vice president for government relations, said the state needs an \"all-of-the-above\" approach addressing supply, labor and regulatory costs. She provided association figures showing single-family building permits that fell from a 2005 peak (54,000 permits) to a 2009 low (6,900), with preliminary 2024 permits at about 15,137 and a modest 2025 forecast. Crandall said HBA's statewide estimate of unmet housing need is about 44,000 units and cited MSHDA estimates placing shortages between about 40,000 and 90,000 units depending on the report.

Builders at the table gave practical examples. John Beitley (Sable Homes) and others said regulatory fees and zoning restrictions often add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a home. Beitley and fellow builders said national research showing average regulatory costs of about $94,000 per home underscores the local impact. They cited permit reviews, impact fees, required site improvements and zoning-imposed design constraints as cumulative contributors that can put homes out of reach for many buyers.

HBA and individual builders also pressed officials on code-adoption questions. Several witnesses said the choice of which edition of the residential building code a municipality must adopt affects cost; they urged legislators to prefer the more flexible 2024 code language over prescriptive elements in the 2021 code that they said raise costs without equivalent gains in energy or safety outcomes. Builders described specific code-driven costs they regard as questionable — for example, indoor sprinkler mandates that would add thousands to a small home's price, and energy requirements that drive long payback periods for upfront expenditures.

Panelists highlighted workforce and demographic concerns: HBA said about 58,011 licensed builders are in Michigan with an average license-holder age of 56 and relatively few new entrants in the 18-to-34 range. Crandall described the Skill to Build Michigan Foundation and other workforce-development efforts aimed at attracting young workers into construction trades.

Several lawmakers asked about quality, resale and financing of manufactured and modular homes; witnesses responded that modern factory-built homes meet HUD and state residential code standards, have comparable materials to site-built houses, and are eligible for some conventional mortgage programs when they meet lender requirements. Panelists also described common financing structures for manufactured-home purchasers including land-lease community models, rent-to-own arrangements, and lender programs requiring down payments that vary with credit history.

The testimony did not include formal committee action on policy measures at this hearing; lawmakers and witnesses identified zoning reform, permitting streamlining and code-adoption choices as policy levers the committee could pursue.

Ending: Witnesses asked the committee to consider targeted reforms that would expand permissible locations for factory-built homes, reduce duplicative permitting costs, and adopt building-code language that balances safety and energy goals against upfront affordability.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regulatory Reform Thursday, March 6, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Manufactured-housing advocates and home builders told the Regulatory Reform Committee zoning, permitting and certain building-code choices are constraining new, affordable housing supply in Michigan.","taxTitle","Regulatory Reform, House of Representative, Committees\t\t\t\t\t, Legislative, Michigan","taxId",27594,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6288457,"Regulatory Reform Committee reports two bills out of committee",198,414760,613110,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2539294-c8f4973b8ddddb754e7f21e8f09233a5&start=414&end=613","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2539294-c8f4973b8ddddb754e7f21e8f09233a5/thumbnail_414760.jpg","/articles/6288457/Michigan/Regulatory-Reform-Committee-reports-two-bills-out-of-committee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6288457-185308195090de9d1f6f56464dde59eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184210&Signature=EXEL06qG2GUbh6EpjPeXpqn-k9Le06hynGGVPII91ZQxI~W594gVHMh9f0WlyRebp3whfTLDHxd4EuIFj4mHbvaAgGDhwb8XpL-NIxArRRvAWo9sCA1VZu9BWek8hDSqKsAaGMfIf7GdjNGtSklFQPZslL2e6UEI35n88vGxD5fD1UTovym61DYIfw7A-9Bqb3zjhOpvhOf2wMHe9T0bqQJrVouGWR6f80vfJYkxqn5wH1oTjn-wpkjG2dk65vWGVnhqHIc3VcB2j9a6yW35Zuk1vPGWvrybfwbXlN9b64oaKQxH5FmJdKZxZkl8Kw2BPYTBvY8~dbIpcv3Fve8CdA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Regulatory Reform Committee reported two bills to the full House after roll-call votes during today's meeting.

House Bill 4004 was moved to be reported by Representative Wozniak and recorded by the clerk as having passed the committee by a unanimous roll call. Representative Thompson moved to report House Bill 4065 as substituted (H-1); Representative Carter first moved adoption of the substitute. The clerk recorded the substitute's adoption (14 yeas, 0 nays, 1 pass on the substitute) and then the final report of House Bill 4065 with a committee recommendation (15 yeas, 0 nays).

Both bills were reported with the committee's recommendation and will proceed to the next stage in the legislative process.

Votes at a glance:
- House Bill 4004: Motion to report the bill carried (committee recorded 15 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain). Mover: Representative Wozniak. Outcome: reported with recommendation.
- House Bill 4065 (substitute H-1): Substitute H-1 adopted (14 yes, 0 no, 1 pass). Motion to report bill as substituted carried (15 yes, 0 no). Movers: Representative Carter (moved substitute H-1), Representative Thompson (moved to report as substituted). Outcome: reported with recommendation of substitute H-1.

No additional details about the bills' substantive text or fiscal impact were read into the record during the roll calls recorded in the transcript. The clerk provided the roll-call tallies at the times shown in the committee record; the chair then closed the agenda items and moved to other testimony.","The Regulatory Reform Committee voted to report House Bill 4004 and House Bill 4065 (as substituted H-1) with recommendations to the full House. Both measures passed the committee on unanimous voice/roll-call votes.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6288448,"Pawn industry asks committee to raise allowable rates, cites competition from unregulated resale",74,2547750,2622360,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2539294-c8f4973b8ddddb754e7f21e8f09233a5&start=2547&end=2622","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2539294-c8f4973b8ddddb754e7f21e8f09233a5/thumbnail_2547750.jpg","/articles/6288448/Michigan/Pawn-industry-asks-committee-to-raise-allowable-rates-cites-competition-from-unregulated-resale","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6288448-63d8dbaf825cc0decf296df7d8a9134b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184210&Signature=UGFW1Kf-AZKkoX0tP5h2r0oJwvuQh1UB1OBRXLEXUb1~g3YChXhN2ITv5xYGa2ayTg7ibUVot383dIUIrCh10n7srY5Eg2xqbOgbvj8K5r-L0pxV8AF-VpQ2Ym~2lxnDwJApMj5CtZJnSk5Gg6huiMgr4-F97VTAyIeLTrgMFFO-CZUXWHvXhwLm3Qrn1Aug~QiWz-19sH1b7YsqeA4mETNDWAT-wkWTitaA7ywQ6oWDJEid9C~xF7jo4n~pFqsTav73j1pUicTqx76SrSMNjpyz452Dg5XRDBF7De9YCuAhit2lLrUCp3Ttf2pNLc2cJZtzQMSVDxb8WZVaY9CM3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mark Aubrey, president of the Michigan Pawnbrokers Association, testified in favor of House Bills 4115 and 4116, describing them as reintroductions of measures that passed the Legislature previously but did not become law. Aubrey told the Regulatory Reform Committee the bills are identical to last session's and would adjust allowable charges for pawn loans from the current statutory level to a somewhat higher percentage (the industry witness described a change from 3% to 5% per month). He said the change is needed to cover rising operating costs and to reduce the incentive for \"illicit\" resale practices by businesses that use a resale license to avoid pawn-rate limits.

Aubrey said the industry has not updated allowable rates in more than a century of the pawn statute's history and that Michigan's current allowable rates are among the lowest in the country. He characterized the current differential as creating a marketplace where some stores circumvent pawn rules by using resale licenses to buy and quickly resell items at much higher effective rates. Aubrey said the bills passed both chambers previously and reached the governor's desk; he said the governor asked for more consumer protections and the sponsors added measures intended to address that request before reintroduction.

Lawmakers asked clarifying questions about the difference between a pawn license (loan collateral model) and a resale license (retail purchase and resale), about how pawn transactions are held and redeemed, and about whether other credit options exist at comparable cost. Aubrey said pawn loans remain a comparatively low-cost short-term option and that the association seeks a modest statutory rate increase while retaining guardrails for consumer protection. He offered to answer committee questions but no formal committee vote on these bills was recorded at this hearing.

Ending: Aubrey requested legislative action to modernize rate rules and close perceived regulatory loopholes; lawmakers and the association indicated they will continue the discussion in future sessions.","Representatives of the Michigan Pawnbrokers Association urged the Regulatory Reform Committee to approve legislation that would raise allowable pawnbroker charges and close market gaps created by businesses operating outside pawn-rate rules.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Manufactured homes and building-code limits spotlighted as part of broader housing affordability discussion

Regulatory Reform Committee reports two bills out of committee

Pawn industry asks committee to raise allowable rates, cites competition from unregulated resale