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St. Joseph County Housing Consortium <br />assembled in a factory, according to the same standards as conventional, stick-built homes. <br />No additional local standards apply. Local zoning allows both manufactured and modular <br />units in the same zoning districts as conventional homes. <br />Publicly Owned Land and Property -The City of South Bend occasionally purchases vacant <br />lots which revert to public (County) ownership due to non-payment of taxes. Some of these <br />lots are then given to housing agencies, such as Habitat for Humanity, for construction of <br />new affordable units. Because of the relatively strong housing demand in Mishawaka, <br />historically, few vacant lots of sufficient width and depth (buildable lots) for new home <br />construction are available. Using a variety of means, such as finding excess City-owned <br />property, donations of property, slum and blight clearance, and formal purchase, the City of <br />Mishawaka has had to be very deliberate and creative in its acquisition of vacant lots for <br />new home construction as part of their First-time Homebuyer Program and their partnership <br />with Habitat for Humanity. <br />Regulatory Barriers in the Rural and Suburban Areas -Roughly sixty percent of the land in <br />the unincorporated areas of St. Joseph County is zoned agricultural. This district is <br />regulated by a large-lot zoning standard, meaning any home built in the district must have <br />a minimum of a twenty acre lot. This requirement clearly limits the development of <br />affordable housing in areas zoned agricultural. However, at the time this change was <br />instituted in 19.79, large areas surrounding the cities and town in the county were rezoned <br />residential and it is in these areas where much of the new development has in fact occurred. <br />Consortium jurisdictions do not subscribe to growth control techniques to inhibit the location <br />or number of housing units. Restrictive and/or exclusive zoning practices are not a matter <br />of policy or regulation. Lot development standards are not considered restrictive as lot sizes <br />and setback is established at minimum requirements to construct conventional housing <br />without imposing on adjacent properties. Minimum lot sizes in unincorporated areas are <br />larger to accommodate septic systems and private wells. . <br />Regulatory Barriers in Urban Areas -There are no restrictions on urban rehabilitation or in- <br />fill projects. In most instances, recorded city lots can be built upon following current zoning <br />codes. Lots located in redevelopment areas require additional site plan review, thus <br />potentially increasing a developer's staff costs; however, this increase would be minimal. <br />Zoning regulations in South Bend and Mishawaka provide for mixed use in certain zoning <br />districts. <br />Rent Control and Landlord Licensin4 -There are no rent control ordinances in the three <br />jurisdictions, or are there any ordinances requiring that landlords be licensed. There is <br />general agreement that rental housing can be an issue; however, the concept of landlord <br />licensing is a politically controversial issue in the community and is unlikely to be pursued <br />unless a coalition can be built to promote the idea and local politicians favor it. <br />2010-2014 Housing and Community Development Plan 45 <br />