The idea is: smaller homes on smaller lots around public space that would sell for less than half the median price for an Ottawa County home which is well above $400,000.
But they’re not the “tiny homes” many people think of says, Department of Strategic Impact Director Paul Sachs.
“We want to address the housing challenges and attainability for people and young professionals for example that make $80,000 a year. Give them that starter home. It's a traditional size home. That's 900 ft.² 1 000 ft.² but we're just not building that.”
Sachs says to address housing availability, leaders have to reconsider ordinances, zoning and new home sizes.
One goal of the program is to streamline designs and smooth the way with zoning policies so developers can build more quickly to make the small-footprint homes profitable to invest in.
“Local ordinances will define minimum home footprint sizes in their regulations. Across the county now there are only two communities of our 24 local units of government that would allow a 500 or 570 square-foot home.”
The Housing Commission is working with design consultants now to create renderings of the small homes to better help the public, potential developers and community leaders understand the concepts and fight misperceptions.
Those designs and more information can be found at the Ottawa County website under Department of Strategic Impact.
