Modular home installation fires up the community

By Clayta Richards / crichards@crossville-chronicle.com

"Who is responsible and where does the buck stop?" That was the question many Fairfield Glade home owners had on their minds Tuesday afternoon as throngs of residents, about 650, poured into the Community and Conference Center to voice their concerns and protests over the sudden appearance of an architectural control committee (ACC)-approved modular home on Canterbury Dr. They were further emboldened by the threat that more are approved. As it turned out, only one other lot-plan has been approved with a modular home at this time.

Fairfield Glade Community Club (FGCC) administration on the dais at the fairly impromptu town hall meeting included board president Dr. David Prigg, General Manager Harvey Hoffman, board director Bob Spencer, board vice president Charlie Woll and ACC chairman Bob Henderson. Treasurer Bob Jackson, who is board liaison to the ACC, arrived later in the meeting due to out-patient surgery earlier in the day.

Most home owners were shocked to find out that the club's ACC standards do not prohibit modular homes. In fact, state law prohibits discriminating against modular homes as long as they meet the standards.

Many were also shocked to find the minimum square footage structure required on some lots can go as small as 800 sq. ft. According to Henderson, the minimum square footage for a home built on any lot is embedded in the deed and ACC has no power to change that, the lot owner has to pursue that with the county.

One property owner may have put it more succinctly than all the rest when he stated, "There is a disconnect between what the ACC approves and what the community feels is appropriate."

All this angst arose after a recent Talcon Auction of numerous lots in the Glade where Donnie Meadows, of Meadows Properties, of Cookeville, purchased 28 lots. His company is responsible for the construction of the modular home on Canterbury.

"We looked at what was being sold out there," said Meadows. "We studied the market in Fairfield Glade and felt like it was good." Meadows also felt the potiential was greater considering the baby boomer generation is beginning to retire.

"These houses are built as good or better than any houses out there," he explained. "The situation is this - some of the local people aren't educated as to what modular homes are. They need to understand these units have 2 x 10 floor joists, plywood floors, . . . You can find all the construction materials used to build these homes down at Lowe's. The only difference is that we brought it (the house) in in two big pieces. This is the evolution of building."

Meadows continued to point out that for years contractors have been moving more and more to modular building units, such as roof trusses, kitchen cabinets, window and door units, tub units and so forth.

"These are not trailers," said Meadows, who explained that on site they start with concrete blocks at the base for a foundation, attach the seal plate on top of the blocks, and then the house units are nailed to the seal plate and further banded in place with metal bands.

Meadows has a plant, Modular One Factory Outlet, in Pulaski, TN, where he employees about 65 people in manufacturing modular and system-built housing. The modular homes must be engineered to international building and engineering codes and then approved by the state of Tennessee.

Asked if he will attempt to place modular homes on all the lots, he replied, "That's what I bought the lots for."

GM Hoffman stated, "What's necessary is raising the bar. The ACC standards should be reviewed. It's much easier to change the ACC standards than the Covenants and Restrictions." In his office later in the week, Hoffman showed a revised plan for the modular home on Canterbury that would lengthen the width of the front of the house and help it fit into the neighborhood. He said the builder was very willing to go along with the modifications to make the home more aesthetic in the neighborhood.

ACC standards do distinguish a difference between mobile and modular homes. At present, trailers are limited to Prestonwood and Wilshire Hills, but modular homes are permitted anywhere in the Glade if they meet all ACC standards. Modulars can't be discriminated against by rule of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

ACC's Henderson explained a little of the process it takes to change his committee's standards. "The committee evaluates things that are happening. Then it is presented to the board and the board approves or disapproves at a board meeting. It's then is official."

At a meeting of the ACC immediately following the town hall on Tuesday, no motion was made regarding the modular homes.

"In our minds, it would be against Tennessee laws," said Henderson. "We do understand it is a concern and a care, but any regulation that we would change would be one that would apply to all builders."

"We're going to continue to do the work we signed up for," said Henderson. "We'll re-look at our regulations to see what we can do to see that all the houses that are built in the future are comparable."

Bob Jackson, who said he was at the ACC committee meeting when they approved the modular structure, added, "We will get legal opinions before we try to change the ACC rules."

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