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Manufactured housing ordinance ready for OK |
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Thursday, 12 June 2008 |
In the works for several years, Benton city officials have come to an agreement and drafted an ordinance in compliance with the 2003 Arkansas Affordable Housing Accessibility Act.
The ordinance outlines the city’s regulations regarding the location of manufactured housing within the city limits. Ordinance 22 of 1992 regulates the location of mobile homes within the city limits and because of changes with manufactured housing and with the passage of the Affordable Housing Accessibility Act, “it has become necessary to update the city’s regulations in order to provide affordable housing to residents of the city,” the proposed ordinance states.
“For quite some time there has been disagreement between city officials over whether we were in compliance with the act or not,” said Marsha Guffey, director of community development.
An ordinance drafted in 2005 failed when voted on by the City Council.
The issue surfaced again in 2006 when Guffey came to work for the city, she said.
The proposed ordinance seeks to bring the definitions of mobile home, manufactured home and modular home in line with state law, she said. “State law says, in a nutshell, that we are supposed to treat manufactured housing like any other form of stick-built housing, and allow it as a matter of right in at least one residential zone.
“Also, it was made simpler for three existing medical hardships [where manufactured housing structures were allowed in areas not zoned for such] to be renewed, but no provision was made for new medical hardships. Requirements for anchoring the manufactured homes were brought in line with state law, and we placed some quality restrictions on the manufactured homes that would be brought in.”
Guffey said that homes may still be placed in the Residential 1 4.0 zone with the proposed ordinance, but because the term “manufactured home” is now used rather than “manufactured dwelling,” the city is now in compliance.
The proposed manufactured housing district is primarily where manufactured and mobile homes already exist, Guffey said. These areas include east of River Street, south of the railroad tracks, through the Ralph Bunche Community, south of Silica Heights and west to the Benton city limits.
Guffey noted that because the R1 4.0 zone “is pretty tight” to actually place a manufactured home, “we added language to allow for manufactured overlay district where it can also be placed in the larger R1 7.5 zone if there are no restrictive covenants that prohibit it.”
She said if the ordinance is approved, procedures similar to rezoning procedures can be used to establish other manufactured housing overlay districts if the surrounding property owners agree.
This issue surfaced again, Guffey said, because of problems associated with a family’s medical mobile home hardship permit. A death in the family removed the medical hardship, therefore, the manufactured home should also have been removed, Guffey said. However, the family was resistant to moving.
Alderman Doug Stracener and former Alderman Leroy Allen sponsored an ordinance rezoning the family’s property to R1 4.0. Because some city officials contended that the ordinance would have allowed for the placement of manufactured housing, the ordinance failed.
Upon the request of numerous residents, the Community Development Department asked the City Council to allow the family a 90-day grace period to give community development a chance to draft an ordinance to solve the problems, Guffey said. In addition, the grace period was intended to “enable us to more objectively and humanely deal with all mobile and manufactured housing issues.”
That ordinance was shot down at a public hearing last year during which many Realtors and community leaders expressed opposition, Guffey said. She added that the Planning Commission “took issue with the proposed ordinance” as well.
After meeting with all the stakeholders several times to hash out some of the issues, Alderman Charles Cunningham chaired the committee that established the proposed ordinance. Guffey and Planning Commission Chairman George D. “Bucky” Ellis also were instrumental in drafting the ordinance.
“Because of all the other stuff going on in city government, this ordinance has just surfaced again,” Guffey said.
“The AG responded, basically, that it was not, which gave greater impetus to getting a new ordinance done,” Guffey said.
Ellis added that the “AG’s opinion was predicated on the assumption that manufactured dwelling and manufactured home were not necessarily the same thing. After the AG’s opinion was issued, the Planning Commission defined the terms to be synonymous, which in effect moots the AG’s opinion.”
Ellis noted that the Planning Commission has the authority under zoning ordinances to define ambiguous terms. “It’s my opinion, however, that we have always been in compliance with state law due to the wording of the zoning ordinance, particularly with respect to R1 4.0,” he said.
Stracener pointed out that the proposed ordinance is “not being originated by the City Council or the Planning Commission. It is in response to the actions of the General Assembly.”
In response to Ellis, he said, “If the Planning Commission understands that under our current zoning ordinance, manufactured dwellings are permissible within R1 4.0, then I agree with Mr. Ellis that this is unnecessary except that the current ordinance is light on legislation regarding tie-downs and the like.” |
 |  |  |  |  | Just being with family and eating good food is the best part!!- Liz McGee Quantz (Haskell, AR)
The Mabelvale United Methodist Church in Mabelvale, AR will
be hosting a fall carnival on Sunday evening October 26th from 5 to 7pm in the
Fellowship Hall. Kids will love it, parents will too! - Roger Poole (Bryant, AR)
I make an awesome Pina Colda Cake. You buy a boxed yellow
cake mix and mix it and bake it per the instructions on the box. After you bake the
cake allow it to cool for about 15 minutes. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke
medium size holes all in the cake. Take a can of Eagle Brand Milk and Cream of
Coconut and alternate pouring them into the holes. Place the cake in the fridge for
about one hour, remove and put Cool Whip on top, as much or as little as you like.
The cake is better if you let it sit all night in the fridge before eatting. It is
wonderful!!! - Kelly Chase (Alexander, AK)
My favorite memories of Thanksgiving were when we lived in
Tulsa, Ok. There were always folks that didn't have a place to go for the holiday-
so they wound up at our house along with most of my husband's family from Benton.
The house was packed. The Thanksgiving meal was wonderful. But the celebration
didn't end there. At night, all weekend, there were pallets spread throughout the
house and the good eats seemed to never end. And on Friday morning (after
Thanksgiving) all the females were up before dawn and Christmas shopping by 8:00
a.m. Those are memories that I will cherish forever. - Billie Loe (Texas)
I always get to make the turkey for our Thanksgiving. So
you can add more butter or flour for consistency. Wash your turkey, pat dry, take
another stick of butter and rub all over turkey. Then take with your hands and smear
the batter a little thick, all over the turkey. Once all of the turkey has the
batter on it, I will melt the another bar of butter and put it in the bottom of the
pan of my turkey. It will make a wonderful gravy to use on your turkey when done.
So, then get enough aluminum foil to make a "tent" over your turkey. Put in oven and
bake @ 375 all night. It will be so moist, the crispies are great and the gravy
makes it better. Now the flip side to this is, it will be so tender it will fall apart.
So, I do not serve as a whole turkey. I go ahead and slice up, pour some grave
over some of the sliced up turkey for those who like it and then slice up some
turkey without gravy. You will have many compliments on this. Happy Thanksgiving
and Enjoy! - Liz Johnson (Benton) We prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that morning.
Then we pack it all up and travel to deer camp in South Arkansas. We serve dinner to
all those who don't have family with which to share. We'll spend the afternoon
playin' dominos, pitchin' horseshoes and just visitin'. It's a wonderful time. - Pat Stuckey (Bismarck) We invite all the family in and cook the traditional feast.
Everyone gets silly when they get full. That is entertaining. - Jim Perry (Benton) Frozen pizza - Greg Marsh (Medicine Hat) The whole family gets together and we have dinner and noon
visit for a while then go home to take naps and get ready for black friday sales! - Terrie Schulz (Benton)
My childhood memories are of the sumptuous dinners my
grandfather, Byron Yarbrough, Sr. would prepare. Family members came from all over
Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas to our home of South East Street. It was a wondeful
time I really didn't learn to appreciate until he and my grandmother passed away.
Later, my cousin Eleen Murray brought the tradition back and family members gathered
at their home near Lake Norrell. Today, it's the memories of
Thanksgivings past that I treasure. It was because of these gatherings that I came
to realize the importance of family. - David Hughes (Herndon, VA)
My favorite time of remembering Thanksgiving is when all of
my family would get together and enjoy the most wonderful feast I have ever tasted.
My mom would make at least 2 to 3 different stuffings, actually her and my sister
Tammy Parker(Schultz) would make everything. I am not quite the chef my mom and
sister are. I live now and have lived for most of my life away from home in
different states so I have tasted many other dishes. None can compare to my
mom's(Pat Brumley). But most of all it is the family being altogether and just
laughing and having fun. My husband experienced this tradition for the first time in
1999 and still to this day can not stop talking about it. His traditions were not
the same. He couldn't believe the amount of food, fun, and family we had for the
holidays. I didn't understand it because I am used to it always being that way. I am
very lucky to have the family I have. My ex-step dad (David Hughes) still treats me
and my sister like his own so I have extended family to share the holidays with too. Even if it
is just a phone call, prayer, or written. I sure so miss Benton. I was raised
there and even though I am in Hoosier state since 2001 I let everybody know I am
proud to be a Razorback. I will never be anything else. God bless everyone in
Benton and someday I hope to see you soon. - Debbie Brooks (Schultz) (Columbus, IN) |
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Razorbacks
