Planning board approves roof-pitch variance for modular home at 502 East Ninth Street

The Panama City Planning Board approved a variance to allow a 3:12 roof pitch for a modular model home at 502 East Ninth Street, where the single-family design standard requires a minimum 4:12 pitch.

The owner and applicant, Viola Diane Sims, told the board she has been trying since 2023 to place the modular home and said the manufacturer does not provide a 4:12 roof; she said the home is 26 by 40 and “a little over a thousand” square feet. Sims described administrative delays and personal circumstances that affected timing and asked the board to allow the home to be set on the lot.

Planning staff recommended against the variance based on the city’s single-family design standards, noting the 4:12 roof-pitch guideline generally applies to new single-family placements and that manufactured or modular homes frequently present 3:12 pitches that must be reconciled with design standards. Staff characterized the denial recommendation as tied to design-pattern concerns rather than building-code safety; staff confirmed the unit meets building-code requirements.

Board members discussed hardship and neighborhood context. One speaker noted surrounding homes include manufactured units and trailers; another asked whether the difference was primarily financial hardship. After discussion, a motion to approve the variance passed on a 4-0 roll call: Board member Carroll yes; Board member Barker yes; Board member Rich yes; Chairman Neubauer yes.

The variance approval allows placement of the modular home with a 3:12 roof pitch; staff noted further permitting and building inspections remain required to ensure code compliance for construction and site work.