Lorraine staff back ordinance to allow permanently sited manufactured homes; tiny-home, shipping-container rules under review

City of Lorraine building, housing and planning staff told the Housing and Planning Commission on July 17 that an ordinance is before city council to allow permanently sited manufactured homes in the same residential districts that now permit single‑family houses, and that the planning department is separately studying tiny homes and shipping‑container conversions as additional housing options.

The proposal matters because staff say the city faces a documented housing shortage that includes needs for senior, market‑rate and affordable units. "The Ohio Revised Code requires that municipalities allow permanently cited manufactured homes in any district that allows a single family dwelling," said Evelyse, a planning and zoning staff member. Matt Kuzhauer, the city's building, housing and planning director, described manufactured homes as factory‑built units that are delivered to a foundation and can be quicker and less weather‑sensitive to construct than site‑built houses.

Staff presented the practical and regulatory limits they are weighing. Evelyse said tiny homes are constrained by model codes: "The…