Manufactured home parks could provide a solution to one of San Joaquin County’s most vexing problems — attainable housing for the local workforce.

The possibility of adding the ability to develop manufactured home parks in residential and agricultural zones within the county in areas outside of established city limits is being vetted tonight when the county planning commissioners meet.

The county already allows mobile home parks.

There is a projected need for 8,808 housing units for between above moderate, median, low, and very low income households between now and Dec. 31, 2031.

Those categories are based on federal Housing and Urban Development guidelines using median income for counties.

In San Joaquin County’s case, median income in 2022 was a household making $74,962 annually. Above moderate is up to 120 percent above median or $93,500.

Households with three or more members have higher income thresholds based on a sliding scale with each additional occupant up to eight.

The county expects between projected auxiliary dwelling units and individual mobile homes to see only 1,342 of the needed 8,808 workforce housing units becoming a reality in non-urban areas by the end of 2031.

That leaves a shortfall of 7,422 units.

And to be clear this is not low-income housing per se as 5,196 of those housing units are needed for median to above moderate for households making a minimum of between $74,962 and $93,500 currently.

Basic dimensions such as minimum widths of 8 feet as well as minimum lengths of 40 feet are the same as mobile homes plus they have to be manufactured offsite and transported in sections to the “park”.

They have somewhat different construction standards.

Both, however, are significantly less in cost than housing built on site.

Manufactured and mobile homes are designed to be moved. That said, manufactured homes rarely are.

One local developer in Manteca tried unsuccessfully during the general plan update process to create zones and city policies that would encourage the building of new mobile home parks much like El Rancho on East Yosemite Avenue and Highway 99 or manufactured home parks.

The idea got no traction.

The late Antone Raymus envisioned creating an affordable age-restricted community of manufactured housing with 495 homes on Louise Avenue west of Cottage Avenue.

Dubbed Shadowbrook, the development didn’t pencil out well due to his desire for upgraded amenities as well as street standards and such that mimicked traditional tract home projects.

Today, that land is being developed as traditional housing as part of The Collective. It is also age-restricted.

The planning commission housing workshop takes place at 6 p.m. tonight in the Board of Supervisors chambers at the county administrative center at 44 San Joaquin St. in downtown Stockton.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com