Joplin council approves two MP rezones to allow tiny‑home projects amid flood, security and policy questions

The Joplin City Council on April 7 voted to approve two rezonings that clear the way for small‑format and manufactured‑home communities intended to provide transitional and ultra‑affordable housing.

The council placed council bill 2025‑266 (Water Gardens) and council bill 2025‑265 (Vita Nova Village) on first reading and passed both. The Water Gardens vote passed 6–1 with two members absent; the Vita Nova rezoning passed on first reading 6–0 with one abstention and two absences.

Mayor Keenan T. Cortez Sr. opened lengthy public hearings in which developers, nonprofit partners and residents described their plans and pressed the council for support. David Glenn, who represented Water Gardens, said the roughly 7‑acre site between East 12th and East 14th Street will be professionally engineered and raised “probably about 2 feet” to take it out of the floodplain and will include expanded drainage and a retention pond. “This is not a simple project…we have lots of hurdles to jump,” Glenn said, adding the group had retained hydraulic engineers to address flood concerns.

Travis Hurley, director of advancement for Water Gardens, described the project’s phased approach and said the developer is exploring a mix of unit construction types, including 3‑D‑printed concrete units designed to resist extreme storms: “We’re looking at a 3‑D‑printed concrete home…F5 tornado proof.” Hurley also said the site will be monitored and managed by a property manager and will not be a gated compound.

Supporters from service organizations framed the projects as solutions to long‑standing local shortages of very low‑cost housing. Nate Schluter of Eden Village, a consultant on both projects, said such communities “provide reasonable accommodations in the form of ultra affordable housing for people that are in absolute poverty” and criticized the notion these developments would depress property values. John King, a faith‑based provider, urged the council not to “be afraid” of new building technologies and recommended workforce and training partnerships.

Council members pressed staff and applicants on floodplain mitigation, the involvement of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and how stormwater displacement would be handled to avoid moving water onto neighboring properties. Council questions also focused on buffers, ingress‑egress, whether tiny‑home projects would require public infrastructure such as street lighting (staff said internal private streets would not trigger public‑street requirements), and whether the MP district permits ancillary community uses such as a community center or laundry (staff confirmed ancillary uses are permitted).

Councilmember Dr. Farnham said he would recuse from the Vita Nova vote but said he supported the groups behind the proposals. Several council members said they favored creating a separate zoning district tailored specifically to tiny‑home developments and asked staff to return with recommended code updates before approving additional sites.

Vita Nova’s representative Troy Dunlap said the S. Byers site is planned for about 16 units with an office and a multi‑use building for laundry and programming; he said units would be stick‑built or built off‑site but placed on concrete slabs, not mobile homes. “We will have concrete foundation, slabs for our homes,” Dunlap said.

The council’s approvals were for rezonings only; both projects must return for site‑plan review and any required permits. Staff repeatedly noted that zoning approval does not waive site‑plan requirements or other development standards. City staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission had recommended approval for both rezones and reported no formal protest petitions from nearby property owners.

What’s next: The council approved both rezonings on first reading; staff said Vita Nova’s site‑plan review is expected in May. Councilmembers asked staff to draft zoning‑code refinements that would clarify standards for tiny‑home developments, including design, buffering and safety features.

Why it matters: City officials and providers said the two projects would expand options for ultra‑affordable and transitional housing in Joplin, a priority highlighted during public comment as the city balances housing needs, floodplain constraints and neighborhood compatibility.