Council to ask ordinance committee to revisit single-wide mobile-home rules amid affordable-housing talk

Council member Steve Johnston proposed that the ordinance committee examine the city's long-standing restriction on single-wide mobile homes and consider whether modern manufactured housing or tiny homes could be allowed on city lots to increase affordable housing options. "I would like for the ordinance committee to revisit or visit our ordinances regarding the placement of single wide mobile homes on a city lot," Johnston said, urging staff to pull current ordinance language and variance options for committee review.

Fire Chief Noah Hall and other council members said manufacturing and construction standards have improved since the 1970s and 1980s and noted some modern manufactured homes now perform well in fire incidents. Chief Hall described newer units as built with stronger walls and improved wiring. Council members also discussed the process for title elimination and tax treatment if a manufactured home is converted to real property, and asked the city attorney and building inspector to research code language, fire-safety history, and the feasibility of allowing manufactured homes, tiny homes or other alternative housing as ADUs or on private lots. The council directed staff to provide ordinance language and feasibility findings to the ordinance committee for follow-up.