City of Thibodaux Zoning Review - South Central Planning ...

2010 Thibodaux Zoning ReviewModular housing is built to look more like permanenthousing than its older predecessors, manufactured or mobilehomes. The post-storm flurry of interest in modular homesresulted in a variety of modular home designs that resembledtraditional homes typical to South Louisiana, popularly knownas “Katrina Cottages.”Regardless of the nature of the construction, all commercialand industrial buildings must meet the state building codes andthe Life Safety Code (fire protection standards.) Many of thedefinitions above are designed for those used for homes as firecodes and other factors will be used in determining the suitabilityof manufactured or modular buildings for commercial activities.In fact, use of modular homes in commercial enterprises is notnew. There are many examples of prefabricated buildings beingused for storage, small offices and other commercial activities.The construction of the building, as long as it meets all relevantbuilding, fire and floodplain codes, is less important than itsappearance, in particular when used in historic districts. In suchcases appearance or aesthetic codes are important.Excerpt from Louisiana Revised Statutes40:1730.71. Installation of modular housingA. Installation of a modular home with a value of less thanthirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars shall be donepursuant to the Louisiana State Uniform ConstructionCode. Installation shall be done by a contractor licensed bythe Louisiana Manufactured Housing Commission underR.S. 51:911.26 et seq. who may obtain local permits for theinstallation.B. Installation of a modular home with a value equal to orgreater than thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollarsshall be done pursuant to the Louisiana State UniformConstruction Code. Installation shall be done by a residentialbuilding contractor licensed by the State LicensingBoard for Contractors under R.S. 37:2150 et seq.C. For the purposes of this Section, the value of the installationshall not include the cost of the component parts of themodular home in the condition each part leaves the factory.The seller shall maintain an itemized list of all other relatedcosts. The installer, if not the seller, shall also maintain anitemized list of all installation costs.D. For the purposes of this Section, “modular home” meansa structure designed for residential occupancy, designedand constructed to the standards of the Louisiana StateUniform Construction Code, which is manufacturedin one or more sections in a factory for installation ona permanent foundation at its final location. The termdoes not include manufactured housing as defined bythe National Manufactured Housing Construction andSafety Standards Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C.A. §§5401-5426.Misconceptions Regarding Modular HomesRelative to the issue of modular homes, many participantsused the words mobile, modular and manufactured homes interchangeably.Interviewed subjects used the term “modular home”when explaining the nature of the moratorium. However, Resolution1550 adopted by the city council on May 18, 2010 usesthe terms “mobile home” and “manufactured home” interchangeably.The city code enforcement staff explained that while thereseems to be some confusion on the correct term, the true intentof the resolution is to address the issue of modular and/or manufacturedhomes being placed in R-3 residential districts.City of ThibodauxAll new homes located in Thibodaux, regardless of themanner in which these are built, must meet the wind standardsof the state building code, HUD and the city’s floodplainmanagement codes. New homes built or installed in Thibodauxmust be designed to meet the standards required for Wind ZoneIII. Homes must also be properly elevated and tied down.The Thibodaux Zoning Ordinance does not distinguishbetween mobile, manufactured, or modular homes. The one definitionis for “Dwelling, Mobile.” The definition seems to be allinclusive. Mobile homes are prohibited in both R-1 and R-2Districts. One mobile home per lot is allowed in R-3 and R-4Districts. Mobile and manufactured homes may have difficultymeeting the standard city lot size. Thibodaux’s R-3 minimumsize lot is 6,000 square feet with a minimum width of 60 feet atthe front building line. This will make it difficult for the newermanufactured homes which may be 80 feet long to fit on a 100feet deep lot and still meet all of the setback requirements, 20feet front yard, etc. The R-4 District has a smaller minimum lotsize of 5,000 square feet with a minimum frontage of 50 feet.This no doubt results in the need for variances to accommodatesuch structures. Modular homes on the other hand are typicallydesigned to be permanently situated on a site-built foundationand are built with city lots in mind.Mobile or manufactured homes are not prohibited in theC-1 District which is the historic Central Business District.This may cause some conflicts between the desires to protect theunique architectural and historic aspects of the older businessdistrict with the placement of modern appearing mobile, manufacturedor even modular homes in the District. The C-3 Districtcontains a clause regarding replacement of a nonconformingmobile home. The mobile home cannot be replaced with anothermobile home in a C-3 area within six (6) months of the time itwas removed. Mobile home parks are allowed in C3 Zones. Itseems they may be allowed in R-4 and C-1 Districts as there areno exclusions for such. However, this again would conflict withthe C-1 goal of protecting the historic downtown.19