Loudoun County’s home and rental prices continue to climb, making affordable housing challenging for some residents. And tiny homes may be able to help mitigate these challenges. That’s according to a report by the county’s Affordable Dwelling Unit Advisory Board.
The Board of Supervisors, which commissioned the report, is meeting Tuesday, December 2, to discuss the findings. The goal of the study was to identify opportunities where tiny homes could “promote attainable housing opportunities for low-to-moderate income families in Loudoun County.”
Currently, homes in Loudoun County cost an average of $348,650 for a one-bedroom and $464,335 for a two-bedroom, county staff found. Affordable housing programs currently have waiting lists of at least one year for rentals and three to four years for purchases.
Tiny Homes
The ADUAB report says that tiny homes “could be a helpful tool as part of the county’s toolbox to address homelessness and housing needs.” It says that they could serve single adults, older residents, and small households especially well.
Tiny homes can vary greatly and do not have a set definition, per the report. They could be on wheels or on a set foundation. They can range in size from 80 to 800 square feet, though they typically span less than 600 square feet. These dwellings can also have lofts or second floors. The costs can range from about $10,000 to $250,000, with an average of $67,000, the report found.
Tiny homes present some drawbacks, though. The report mentions that tiny homes tend to cost 38 cents more per square foot than full-sized homes, and they have less space for appliances, storage, and laundry facilities.
Feasibility Study
The study examined several tiny home communities across the country to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of their models. It found that tiny homes are “potentially most cost effective as a homelessness solution.” But they have also been used in some jurisdictions to provide an attainable path to homeownership.
The advisory board says that that approach could be used in Loudoun. Local implementation would need to comply with state laws, county zoning, and building code requirements.
To illustrate what would be possible in Loudoun County, ADUAB looked at an approved public land and affordable housing partnership that’s currently being developed in Ashburn, at the site of a former park and ride. This development spans 4.86 acres with 3.72 acres of developable land. It will have 131 affordable rental units and eight homeowner units.
If a plot of that size and type were made available for a tiny home community, ADUAB says that 40 to 50 tiny homes would need to be developed on the land to be financially feasible. Assuming a cost of $125,000 per unit and a $1 million ground lease payment, the study estimates that the cost to develop 45 tiny homes would be about $6.7 million.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
