New York is opening the door to municipalities to grab a piece of the manufactured housing investment pie.
The state began accepting applications on Monday for its “Move in NY” program, the New York Times reported. The program is being seeded by a $50 million investment from the state, part of the housing plan included in the 2026 budget.
Under the program, up to 15 communities will be able to secure financing from the state in exchange for commitments to build at least 10 homes via manufactured housing on land free of zoning restrictions. The homes must be designed for middle and low-income residents.
Homes have already been delivered in Syracuse, Schenectady and Newcomb. The goal is to deliver 200 manufactured and modular homes in the next year. Any company can bid to be part of the construction process.
“This is the answer to how we can get the supply quickly,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said to the Times, referencing the program and the manufactured housing process.
Manufactured housing comes in and out of vogue, particularly popping up at times of economic distress as the assembly and construction process often proves cheaper and more efficient than traditional homebuilding. But financing difficulties and stereotypes linking manufactured homes to trailer park properties keep them from gaining consistent momentum.
Solving the stigmatization might be hard, but the state is hoping to solve financing problems by requiring the homes to be built on land that will be sold with the home and implementing federal housing design guidelines to help increase eligibility for a traditional mortgage.
Rather than penalizing municipalities for lack of participation, the state is providing incentives for cooperation, such as zero-point loans and partial grants.
Every home counts, but even if the program meets its goal, it will be a drop in the bucket next to the 800,000 units the state needs to address its housing shortage by the end of the decade, according to the Regional Plan Association.
— Holden Walter-Warner
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