Horseshoe Bay updates manufactured home ordinance, allowing for modular structures
With over 500 lots in Horseshoe Bay South zoned for manufactured homes, and more expected, the city updated its ordinance regarding that type of housing to offer clearer standards. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
With 558 manufactured home lots yet to be developed, the city of Horseshoe Bay tweaked its ordinance addressing the sites.
“We did not have real clear standards for that area,” said Sally McFeron, the city’s development services director. “The codes were minimal. We wanted to clean that up.”
The City Council approved updating the ordinance during its April 13 meeting.
Officials are anticipating more growth in Horseshoe Bay South, which has 784 manufactured house lots of which 226 have homes on them. That leaves 558 lots available for development.
McFeron said the city wanted to allow modular homes on those lots as well.
Both modular and manufactured homes are prefabricated structures, which means they are either somewhat or completely constructed in an off-site factory.
From a legal standpoint, however, modular homes are held to the same local, state, and regional building codes required for on-site homes. Manufactured homes, meanwhile, are held to a federal code set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
City staff presented the updated ordinance to the council a month earlier, but the council wanted clarifications on some parts of it, including the sections on foundations, carports, and roof lines.
McFeron said the update accomplishes the main intention.
“It’s about getting lots organized and creating some standards by which people will know what’s going on,” she said. “Community members feel pride when you can identify an area. We want to give the residents in that area a sense of pride and community. In addition, we’ll be paving more streets there.”
