Daniel McKenna Foster, Long Range Planning, told the work session the relocatable dwelling unit proposal known in meeting materials as AO 2025-112 is intended to “clear up confusion” about mobile homes, manufactured homes, tiny homes and modular units and to introduce a new definition, the relocatable dwelling unit (RDU).

The ordinance would rename the existing category to relocatable dwelling unit (RDU) and relocatable dwelling unit community (RDUC), make it easier to repair or replace existing units in manufactured housing parks, reduce minimum lot sizes within existing parks, change some park approvals from conditional use to site-plan review, and expand where RDUs may be placed in PLI (public lands, institutions) zones. "This ordinance is doing a lot," McKenna Foster said, summarizing staff work with building services, fire safety and other municipal offices.

Why it matters: proponents said the code currently prevents replacement of aging factory-built units because the municipal code requires HUD-certified mobile homes of the factory type for placement in parks. McKenna Foster said that HUD-certified units are now scarce in Alaska, and the existing rule can block reasonable repairs or replacement. The proposed change would allow building services to certify alternative factory-built or small-form housing — including tiny homes, container-based units or other factory-built units — for occupancy so long as they meet safety standards.

Planning staff described changes that would allow municipalities and park operators to return units to use where prior lot-size minimums had prevented placement, while retaining building- and fire-safety standards. McKenna Foster said the ordinance does not change fire separation distances and relies on Building Services to approve safety. The ordinance also would require new placements in parks to consider the condition of water and sewer infrastructure and would not allow placement where the infrastructure is inadequate without verification.

Staff said the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the item for approval when it was heard on June 9, 2025. McKenna Foster said the municipality funded a feasibility study in 2023 (AR TWIN 23102S) that concluded creating new manufactured home parks was not feasible because infrastructure costs were too high, which prompted staff to emphasize repairing and preserving existing parks instead of building new ones.

Members pressed staff on specifics: whether RDUs must be on foundations, how accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and primary dwelling units are named in code, and how placement on foundation changes classification. McKenna Foster said the draft requires ADU RDUs to be on foundations in many cases because building-code and assessment rules treat foundationed units differently; a relocatable unit placed on a permanent foundation generally becomes a conventional dwelling unit under the code. He said building-services staff supplied a memo explaining the building-code implications and that staff would circulate additional details.

Several members asked about infrastructure ownership and condition in parks and how private water or sewer systems complicate reuse. McKenna Foster said some parks are connected to public water or sewer, some have private wells or private sewer systems, and sometimes the location of buried infrastructure is unknown, which drives up cost and complexity for reuse or upgrades.

What was not decided: this was a work session; the Assembly did not vote. Staff and the member who requested the work session said they will continue to refine language with building services and that the ordinance will return to the agenda for formal consideration. Planning staff said they expected additional memos from Building Services (Daniel King referenced) and further coordination with the mayor’s office, fire safety and community stakeholders.

Ending: Staff emphasized the ordinance seeks incremental change that permits safe repairs and a broader range of factory-built housing in existing manufactured housing parks rather than encouraging entirely new park construction. The item will return to a future agenda for formal action after staff follow-up and additional edits.