Texas Is Opening the Door to Cheaper Homes. Some Cities Are Barely Cracking It.

When Millard’s Apple Park was platted in Nacogdoches, TX, in 2002, the 69-lot subdivision was designed to accommodate both traditional houses and manufactured homes.But only two years later, the city stopped allowing new manufactured homes by right in its residential districts. Homes already there could remain, but they became legally nonconforming—limiting owners’ ability to replace or expand them.It’s a common pattern across the state: 33% of cities don't explicitly allow manufactured housing and an additional 11% subject it to a special permit or public hearing, according to a recent analysis from the National Zoning Atlas.Nacogdoches, for its part, understood the trade-off at the time. Its 2003 comprehensive plan called manufactured housing “one of the most affordable means of entering into homeownership,” but seemed to put more stock in the concerns from local residents about its potential effect on neighboring property values.Then, in early August, Nacogdoches reversed course. The City Council unanimously created a new residential district where manufactured homes are permitted by right—including all 69 lots of Millard’s Apple Park.It was a win for affordability advocates, an...