05/08/1985 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

e e e Ms. Wooten called the City Council work session to order in the McNutt. Room at 12:55 p.m. VI. MOBILE HOMES ON INDIVIDUAL LOTS IN RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS (CA 85-3) (memo, background information distributed) Gary Chenkin of the Planning Department offered an overview and answered questions concerning this amendment to the code regulating mobile homes. The proposed amendment will allow new, double-wide mobile homes on individual lots in newly developing residential areas zoned MH Home Subdistrict provided the mobile homes and lots comply with specific design and compatibility criteria. Mr. Chenkin said the amendment also requires the development site to be at least three acres in size. The site must be contiguous on at least half of its boundary to parcels that average no more than two dwelling units per acre. Thus, such areas will necessarily be located on the edges of town. Answering questions, Mr. Chenkin said the mobile homes located in such areas must be new. He said the Planning Commission had waivered between a three- acre and a ten-acre minimum for mobile home lots until a vote decided the issue in favor of three acres. The three-acre minimum is already the standard for regular MH subdivisions. The commission felt it necessary to establish consistency for policies for regular and mixed MH subdivisions. .... Mr. Miller said the mixed concept troubled him because the quality of "stick houses" buil t mi ght be much lower than that of the nei ghbori ng mobile homes. The deterioration of the "stick houses" would lower the value of the entire neighborhood. Ms. Brody felt this was a valid concern. She said the mixed development plan was somewhat experimental. Mr. Miller questioned whether the amendment would significantly increase the freedom of mobile home dwellers to settle in previously restricted areas; the minimum three-acre lot is already an easy condition to meet. Mr. Chenkin replied that the amendment provided flexibility to meet the demand for only two or three mobile homes on a larger site which otherwise could not be exclusively occupied by mobile homes. Ms. Bascom voiced support for providing more types of low-cost housing. Mr. Ehrman observed that a new mobile home was not exactly low-cost housing. Mr. Miller favored conditional use permits allowing mobile homes on cul-de- sacs and other limited areas. He felt this would accomplish basically the same thing as mixed. Mr. Chenkin doubted these individual cases would be worth the administrative effort. It would be hard to establish steady criteria. Answering a question from Mr. Holmer, Mr. Chenkin said "manu- factured housing" was incl uded under different standards than mobile homes. Mr. Miller said he would support the amendment with a provision guaranteeing "stick houses" of equal or higher quality. The group agreed that such a rule would conflict with the Uniform Building Code's minimum standards. Mr. Hansen had some reservations about the three-acre lot minimum. Mr. Chenkin stressed MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 8, 1985 Page 6