SLO: County Needs Affordable Housing - Part II

Introduction: Creating truly Affordable Housing in SLO requires a full-court press. This means that every form of affordable housing must be pursued and implemented. One form of affordable housing is what I like to call "Affordable Green Micro-Housing". It has already been done here in SLO County, around our country, and around the world. It consists of homes primarily in the 200 to 400 square foot range (10 x 20 feet = 200 square feet; 20 x 20 feet = 400 square feet) - that is, bigger than an old-fashioned dorm room with a bathroom and kitchenette, but not by much.

The Need to Attract Affordable Housing: The city of San Luis Obispo works hard to attract businesses to move to SLO. However, it appears to do little to create city policies that would allow those who work here to also live here. This would require policies that promote so-called "workforce housing". "Workforce housing" is a nice word for "Low low low low Income housing". We have many workers in the hospitality / service / tourism / retail industry that cannot afford to live in SLO (or often, anywhere at all - thus, remaining employed and homeless). 

In my opinion, the city of SLO has a moral obligation to allow policies that create low income housing to match the employers that it recruits to move their business here. These would include low per-unit fees for "micro-housing" development and more permitting for high density in-fill within the city, as well as "homesharing" and granny unit development.

*****RESOURCE: TINY HOUSE BUILD.COM 
Web Site (Tiny House Friendly Map of the United States)

Web Site (TinyHouseBuild.com: Magazine about small houses)

According to the "Tiny House Friendly" map of the US, no municipalities in SLO county are shown on the map - not a surprise. Also, much of the current trend in "tiny homes" involves those with high incomes that want to live a simpler, less resource intensive lifestyle. That is, they can afford the "McMansion" but choose to live in a "tiny home".

*****RESOURCE: TENT CAMPS TO TINY HOUSE VILLAGES - A HISTORY
Please consider buying this book: Tent City Urbanism: From Self-Organized Camps to Tiny House Villages by Andrew Heben. It is available for around $16 from Amazon, and you can find it by clicking here. Yes, indeed, there is a "Tiny House" Movement in this country, and I hope we can do some of this in SLO County.

First, let's  take a look at the many different implementations that of "tiny home villages" that are out there now.


*****TIERRA NUEVA, CO-HOUSING, OCEANO, CALIFORNIA
Web Site (Tierra Nueva's Home Page)
Web Site (Cohousing Association of the United States)
Web Site (Tierra Nueva Homes for Sale or Rent)

STATUS: Completed in 1999 and currently houses 60 people of all ages in a moderately affordable cohousing community.

Apparently, Tierra Nueva cohousing is not particularly affordable (at least by my definition - read on) for those making low wages.

As of September 2014, 2 homes were listed for sale and 1 for rent:
For Rent: $1,900/month. 4 bedroom, 2 bath. 1728 Tierra Nueva Lane.
For Sale: $325,000. 3 bedroom, 2 bath. 1744 Tierra Nueva Lane.
For Sale: $380,000. 4 bedroom, 2 bath. 1728 Tierra Nueva Lane.
In most places, these homes would be considered expensive, but here on the central coast, they would be considered lower/middle income and relatively affordable.

Above: A living unit at Tierra Nueva; looks nice.
Completed in February 1999, Tierra Nueva Cohousing is a 27-unit complex consisting of passive solar single and multi-story duplexes and single family homes. It houses around 60 people of all ages, from single digits to octogenarians. The community features a common house, avocado trees, and gardens on 5 acres in Oceano, California. Tierra Nueva is adjacent to the town of Halcyon and about 18 miles from San Luis Obispo, essentially the center of the California Central Coast.

After visiting and learning about cohousing communities in Denmark, a San Luis Obispo group in 1988 began their search for a site on which to build a cohousing community. It took nine years of meetings, retreats and community-building fun to bring “Tierra Nueva” to completion. Construction began in 1997 and the last house was completed in February of 1999.

Polly Cooper and Ken Haggard of the San Luis Obispo Solar Group, leaders in solar design in the area, designed the site plan and structures. Wonderland Development Corporation, who have helped many successful cohousing projects in the United States, was the co-developer. J.W. Design & Construction, Inc. was the contractor.

*****HOPE'S VILLAGE, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA
Web Site (Hope's Village of SLO Home Page)
Web Site (Cal Coast News article on Hope's Village)

STATUS: Prototype "Cabin on Wheels" built and available for viewing and presentations to interested groups. No "SLO Village" yet, but has some political and community support, and is looking for 10 acres to land to inhabit - know of any?

Hope's Village has designed and built a prototype towable home ("Cabin on Wheels") that could be used to provide housing to a local community of adults who currently lack housing. They are using the Dignity Village in Portland as a prototype of their goal to house some of our local homeless population in a "Hope's Village".

Above: Interior shot of their "Cabin on Wheels".
Hope's Village Mission Statement: "Providing sustainable community living for local unhoused adults..."  With community support and involvement, we are dedicated to establishing a safe, healthy and drug-free environment where people can live in dignity and in peace, where their voices will be heard, and where they will have hope in their hearts for a brighter future. 

*****MOYLAN TERRACE, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA

Web site (purchase information) 
Web site (Facebook page)
Web site (non-profit developer) 
Web site (honoring former Executive Director George Moylan) 
Web Site (SLO Chamber of Commerce Article on Moylan Terrace)

STATUS: Some units completed, with more to go. Affordable units (about 10% of total) price in at a whopping $162,000. The rest to be sold at market prices. A total of 80 homes are planned, of which about 8 will be "affordable". Not sure of exact development completion status.

HASLO was honored at the summer convention of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) this July in Tampa, Florida.  Moylan Terrace, HASLO's 80 unit homeownership development in San Luis Obispo, received a national Award of Merit, and is also one of few nominated for NAHRO's Award of Excellence.  Moylan Terrace contains a mix of low, moderate and workforce priced homes.  Moylan Terrace prides itself on being a "green" project, and exceeds California's strict energy conservation standards by 24%.

Phase 1 of the Moylan Terrace project quickly sold out in August 2013. Out of 12 total units, two homes were sold at the affordable price of $162,900 to buyers who met the City’s low income threshold, one home sold for $319,900 to a buyer who met the City’s Moderate income threshold, and the remainder of the units sold at market rate starting at $349,900. Twenty‐four homes will be built in Phases 2 and 3 which are currently scheduled to be completed in Spring of 2014. Seven of the units will be sold to buyers who meet the City of San Luis Obispo’s Low and Moderate income requirements. A total of 80 homes are planned for Moylan Terrace, which will be constructed over several more phases. 

*****PARKS FORWARD (THE WEDGE), CAL POLY POMONA, CALIF.  PARK SYSTEM
Web site (Curbed, Los Angeles - Article on The Wedge)
Web Site (The Wedge at the California State Fair in 2014)
Web Site (Revamp the Camp - Article about "The Wedge" Cabin)

STATUS: Single prototype built after winning college competition. State Park System hopes to build about 500 units for use in campgrounds. No power or electrical. However, the design is affordable, mobile, and habitable. 

Yes, this is a modular cabin design for California camp grounds. However, it's design features are similar to those looking for affordable housing. Let's take a quick look. The program is called "Park Foward". The program was created after the 2012 State Parks scandal. Eye-catching camping cabins that sleep 4 or more will be moved to some of our California State Park campgrounds, and be available for rent by campers.

This winning design, called the Wedge, was one of 4 entries created by Cal Poly Pomona architecture students. They are bare bones and have no plumbing or electricity. They were designed to be small, affordable and movable. A prototype of the Wedge has been built, and was displayed in 2014 at the California State Fair. Each can cost up to $20,000 to build, and are designed to be turn key.

*****CHARITIES HOUSING, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

Web site (Home Page at Charities Housing) 

Property Data: Site Size: 0.66 acre. Number of Units: 42

Density (units per acre): 64. Unit Mix: 41 efficiency studios, 285 sq ft avg; one 2-bedroom, 836 sq ft. Affordability: 40% @ extremely low income; 60% @ very low income.

Charities Housing, in partnership with the City of San Jose Department of Housing, developed this collection of 42 apartments in San Jose. The community is conveniently located along the North First Street VTA light rail corridor and is within walking distance to various shops, restaurants and the Rosemary Gardens Park. The building is designed in accordance with Green Building Guidelines and implements state of the art building technologies in an effort to promote energy efficiency and sustainability. Amenities include a lobby, laundry, offices, a 1,650 square foot community room and full kitchen. A garden courtyard is located on the second level in the southeast corner of the development.

*****DIGNITY VILLAGE, PORTLAND, OREGON
Web Site (August 2014 Article: Dignity Village, 13 Years Later)
Web Site (Dignity Village Wikipedia Page)

Dignity Village is a city-recognized encampment of an estimated 60 homeless people in Portland, Oregon. In 2000, a group of homeless people in Portland succeeded in establishing a tent city which garnered a great deal of both opposition and support, and quickly evolved from a group of self-described "outsiders" who practiced civil disobedience, to a self-regulating, city-recognized "campground" as defined by Portland city code. The Village now features dedicated land near Portland International Airport, elected community officials and crude but functional cooking, social, electric, and sanitary facilities,

Above: A typical Dignity Village home.
2014 Update: Like many communities, they may have their fair share of problems, but a sense of common responsibility and a shared fate continues to hold this thirteen-year-old experiment together. And while, for years, some have anticipated a major incident that would lead to its closure, it has yet to happen. Instead, Dignity Village continues to provide 60 people with a place to call home at no cost to the city or taxpayer—even as imperfect as it may be.

*****TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT IN SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Web Site (Tiny House Movement in Sonoma County, Calif.)

Summary of this article link above: The growing national “tiny house movement” embraces homes that are about 500 square feet or less. Sonoma County, Calif. is one of the trend’s hubs. County planning chief Tennis Wick says the relatively high cost of living is one reason: The median home price hovers around $500,000.

The county also has a history of small homes.There are a few hundred tiny homes tucked away in backyards and backwoods parts of the county. But there’s no official count — the state building code prohibits fixed foundation homes that are less than 220 square feet. Homes on wheels need special permits, and many people don’t bother.

Tim's Commentary: Also not particularly helpful. Sonoma County has a few hundred "tiny homes", but they require permits that people don't get, and besides, anything less than 220 feet is illegal. No real movement here - just a bunch of people in remote areas that have gotten away with building and living in tiny homes. 

*****TINY HOUSE FRIENDLY TOWN OF SPUR, TEXAS
Web Site (Tiny House House Build website features: Friendly Town in Texas)
Web Site (City of Spur, Texas Website - Welcoming Tiny Houses)
Web Site (TinyHouseBuild.com: This is the real gem!)

The mayor of Spur, Texas has declared that they are a “Tiny House Friendly Town” and the city council is finalizing an ordinance that makes tiny houses legal. What they are doing is a model for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of other tiny house friendly towns. This is a fantastic example of that changing building codes to allow for “Green Affordable Micro-Housing”. 

Unfortunately, the story of Tiny Houses and Spur, Texas, isn't really a story at all. I'll eventually delete this section after I have added additional featured "Small House" residential areas. The real gem is the web site, TinyHouseBuild.com, which is an online magazine about Affordable Green Micro-Housing that is in it's 20th edition. Go read it! People need to live somewhere, and micro-housing is affordable to build, creates an environmentally friendly lifestyle, and has low utility costs.

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