Communities in and around Austin, TX have been a hotbed for discussions about affordablity and manufactured housing over the last few months.

According to KUT, Austin City Council member Pio Renteria recently visited some of his constituents at a manufactured home community and was shocked by what he saw.

“When I went down there I said, ‘my goodness, there’s no rec centers,‘” Renteria told KUT. “There’s nothing there for the kids. They’re just running around, and when I inquired with one of my policy aides, she said, ‘yeah the laundry room is the recreational center.’”

Renteria has penned an ordinance that would require all new mobile home developments to include a playground and at least one other recreational space. The proposed ordinance would also require space for a community garden in both new and existing communities.

“There’s huge mobile home parks now being built all along the Eastern Crescent, on the border of the city,” he said. “This is a little urgent now because there are so many in the pipeline.”

A View from the Manufactured Home Industry

D.J. Pendleton, Executive Director of the Texas Manufactured Housing Association (TMHA) provided his thoughts on Renteria’s proposed ordinance in his commentary on the MHProNews Industry Voices Blog.

“This just seems like yet another city overreach with an idea that has not yet been thoroughly thought out as to its practical impact,” said Pendleton.

“And it is once again, the singling out of manufactured home communities compared to other housing options.”

As the Daily Business News and MHLivingNews have covered here and here, misconceptions about manufactured housing have led to NIMBY-ism (Not-In-My-Back-Yard.)

“Notice there is no proposal to mandate vegetable gardens in multi-family housing, or even in other single-family neighborhoods in Austin,” said Pendleton.

Pendleton also shared that he’s all for community owners investing in upgrades and tenant amenities to improve their communities as they see fit. Improving and upkeep takes financial resources, which are inevitably passed on to the residents. While that’s the case, items that Renteria proposes confuse him.

“I’m confused by the Council Member Renteria’s quote of, ‘There’s huge mobile home parks now being built all along the Eastern Crescent, on the border of the city.’ ‘This is a little urgent now because there are so many in the pipeline.’” 

Pendleton continued by saying, “I know Scott Roberts got a rezoning approval for the construction of a new community, but the quote gives the implication there are tons of parks under development.  I’d of course love it if that were actually the case, but other than Robert’s Resorts, I’m not aware of any.”

“In fact, the city just turned down a request to allow for a new community to be developed after neighbors showed up to oppose it.”

Pendleton also calls the lack of logistical details in the ordinance into question.

The vote on this proposal was delayed.

Daily Business News will continue to monitor this story.  Pendleton’s commentary and more related information are found, linked here.##

(Image credits as shown above.)

Submitted by RC Williams for the Daily Business News, MHProNews.