Change in definition

Local municipalities report minimal numbers of modular houses. Mandeville permit clerk Gene Key said the city had none before Katrina. Since the hurricane, one is complete in Mandeville, another is under construction and two are proposed. Slidell also had none before Katrina, according to building inspector Eric Giroir, and one built since.

Modular homes were not permitted in Abita Springs until the Board of Aldermen voted Oct. 17 to change the town’s zoning code, which officials said had defined modular homes as trailers. The issue arose after residents commissioned a modular home based on their own design.

“It’s been something of a recent phenomenon because of Katrina,” said Abita Springs Mayor Louis Fitzmorris. “I just look at it as a sign of the times. What it is, is people are having difficulty lining up contractors, and it just seems for a lot of people the most practical way to go.”

Despite the move to allow them, the town has no modular homes. “I’ve had interest; a couple of people have been by to talk about doing them,” said Planning and Zoning Director Cindy Murry-Chatelain.

McPherson’s modular home may be the first one in Covington, according to Mayor Candace Watkins, who toured the house after it was assembled. “It’s an amazing concept,” she said. “It’s sort of like instant home.”

Habitat makes an impact

Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West is putting up 24 modular homes in the Abita Nursery subdivision, outside Abita Springs. All but two have been delivered, and the organization expects families to start moving in next month.

“We’re excited about it,” said Executive Director Maureen Clary. “And our families, they just love the homes.” Covington architect Shiloh Moates designed the houses, which were manufactured by All American Homes, a nationwide company with plants in five states.

Clary said the local chapter set a goal after Katrina to build 100 houses in two years. The local labor shortage and fewer volunteers made it more of a challenge, but using modular homes to supplement Habitat’s other construction made it possible. “We saw what we could do, and the impact we could have on the community,” Clary said.

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