Parkersburg Code Enforcement Director Andy Nestor discusses a proposed ordinance expanding the areas where construction of manufactured homes is permitted during a Municipal Planning Commission meeting Friday at the city building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

PARKERSBURG — The city’s Municipal Planning Commission gave its seal of approval Friday to an ordinance expanding the areas of the city in which manufactured homes can be placed.

City code only allows manufactured homes — structures built at another location and moved to the site in two pieces, where they are put together — in multi-family apartment residential and neighborhood business zones.

People can construct them elsewhere if granted a variance by the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

The ordinance, if approved on two readings by Parkersburg City Council, would expand the zones where manufactured homes are permitted without a variance to residential areas zoned for medium density, high density and single family dwellings as well as general business (B-2) zones.

“Requests for manufactured housing are probably the most requests we get for new construction,” City Planner Connor LaVelle said.

Parkersburg Municipal Planning Commission Vice President Eric Gumm speaks during Friday’s meeting in council chambers at the city building. (Photo by Evan Bevins)

Manufactured houses are generally less expensive than traditional site-built structures, LaVelle said. Making it easier to build them in the city is seen by officials as a way to address the area’s housing shortage and provide more opportunities for people to build on lots where the city’s Urban Renewal Authority has demolished dilapidated structures.

“We want these lots to be usable,” Code Enforcement Director Andy Nestor said. “And I think this helps accomplish that.”

A distinction often made between manufactured and modular homes is that manufactured homes can be moved. But that is not what officials are envisioning with the proposed ordinance.

In addition to meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s manufactured housing and safety standards, manufactured homes would also have to comply with appearance standards including minimum street frontage (28 feet), width (24 feet) and roof pitch. They would have to be new units, not moved from somewhere else, and have permanent utility connections and foundations. Single-wide trailers would not be permitted.

Nestor said manufactured homes have come a long way since those were the most common format.

“They’re a lot safer, a lot better-built homes,” he said.

Planning Commission Vice President Eric Gumm said approving the ordinance is a “reflection of reality.”

“I think in cases like this, it’s almost as important to know what it isn’t as what it is,” he said.

The ordinance was forwarded to council on an 8-0 vote, with three members absent.

The commission also unanimously reelected Gumm as vice president and Charlie Matthews as president.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com