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The LaGrange City Council discussed a request to rezone 54 acres located at 1510 Lukken Industrial Drive that would allow for a large mobile home park during their work session on Tuesday morning.

If approved, the zoning would change from Campus General Industrial & Agribusiness (CP-GI) to Special District Manufactured Housing (SD-MH).

City Planner Mark Kostial said the Board of Planning and Zoning Appeals voted 4-1 to recommend the rezoning request with two conditions. First, no used manufactured homes be allowed within the development, and second, at least 70 percent of the homes have front porches that are oriented toward interior streets.

The site plan for the development calls for 141 lots. The lots will be rented from the developer, but homes will need to be purchased and financed separately.

The lots will allow room for 14 by 66-foot single-wide mobile homes with approximately 924 square feet. 

The developer advised that manufactured homes would cost around $100,000 to $150,000 with lot rental in the high $400 to $500 range. The total payment would likely be between $1,200 to $1,500 per month, including mortgage fees and rent.

As for maintaining the properties, the residents would be responsible for their lot according to their lease agreement but ultimately, if they violate the lease by not cutting their grass or leaving debris, the development would clean it up and charge the tenant.

During the subsequent regular council meeting on Tuesday evening, the council voted 4-1 to call for a public hearing on the potential zoning change on Dec. 12.

Councilman Nathan Gaskin recused himself from the vote due to owning property in the area. Only Councilman Leon Childs voted against moving forward with the hearing. He expressed concerns over the cost of the homes during the earlier work session.