The zoning idea is being pushed because of a pilot program that the North Carolina Manufactured Home Institute wants to do to bring more affordable homes into theCity of Raleigh.
Greg Van Natten has 1,400 square feet to clean. He says he and his family can afford all the space because they built a manufactured home in an Apex subdivision.
"There's really no difference in them. They look like stick-built. They feel like stick-built. The only difference is they haul them up on tires," Van Natten said.
Right now, there is a push for a pilot program to bring lower cost manufactured homes into open lots in Raleigh subdivisions.
Now, they are only allowed in communities specifically designed for manufactured homes.
"We have such a problem with affordable housing. We have such a short supply of affordable housing. Anything we can do to get safe, decent, affordable housing out there is something that should be given serious consideration," said Linda Shaw of theLow Income Housing Coalition.
The pilot program to bring manufactured homes into subdivisions is called the Urban Design Project. It would require a major change to Raleigh's zoning codes. City planning commissioners say many residents oppose that idea.
"That basically says that you can have a manufactured home next to another home that is of different standards. I personally don't feel that it's right to have different standards for different types of construction," said Raleigh Planning Commissioner Joyce Kekas.
The City Council tabled the vote Tuesday instead of pushing the idea to a committee to study. This idea has been tried in six other cities.
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