City of Odessa Consideration of Removing MH as Permitted Use

The City of Odessa is considering removing manufactured housing as a permitted use in all of its zoning districts - General Residence, University, Retail, Light Commercial, Heavy Commercial, Light Industrial, and Planned Development Districts. 

This would restrict anyone who is not simply replacing an existing manufactured home under their 1201 replacement rights from purchasing a home from our retail stores to go in any of these locations.  Effectively pushing all future manufactured home placements beyond the city limits and utility infrastructure, thereby constraining home buying options and increasing the land and private utility costs (wells, septic, etc.) for all future non-city manufactured home purchasers in the surrounding Odessa areas.

The item will first be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 1:30 pm.

It will then be considered by the City Council on Tuesday, May 27th, at 6pm for the first reading and Tuesday, June 10, at 6 pm for the second reading.

As a first step, it is critical that you communicate to every employee and every customer that you can that receives the hearing notice to fill out the form protesting the zoning request. If 20% of the affected property owners protest, then the zoning change can only be enacted with a super majority of the council.

Next, we would encourage all of our retailers in this region to reach out to as many customers that you have sold to in the affected areas to also consider providing public or written testimony to both the P&Z Commission and to the Council Members.

The most successful testimony in these sorts of zoning fights is for manufactured homeowners and property owners that are considering MH to show up and share their stories about attaining home ownership and the prospect of themselves, their friends, and their families being locked out of achieving their homeownership goals.

It would also be a good idea for all of TMHA impacted members to consider giving public or written testimony as well. Share your experiences of helping families purchase homes they never thought they would be able to achieve, and also about how working in the industry has helped you provide for your families.

The more council member constituents that we can get to express their opposition to this directly to their council member the better our chances will be.

Typically, the P&Z will have their public hearing and then decide whether to endorse the change or to not endorse the change to the council, but that endorsement does not necessarily push the council in either direction, so it is important to plan on having a presence at each of the three meetings.

You can find the district maps and contact information for the council at: https://www.odessa-tx.gov/670/City-Council

The contact for the Planning Division that prepares the case for P&Z can be found at: https://www.odessa-tx.gov/Directory.aspx?did=90

The listed Case File No. in the hearing and public notice is titled – “Mobile/Manufactured Homes Ordinance Amendment.”

And the property owners “Important Notice” about this proposal at: Development - Planning