PROJECT BACKGROUND

Purpose of the Amendments

The amendments are part of the 2019 Housing Element update, funded by an HCD planning grant to help increase low cost housing.

Lay of the Land for Tiny House Villages & Emergency Housing Villages

Tiny House Villages and Emergency Housing Villages were envisioned in the Housing Element as groups of three or more tiny houses or moveable tiny houses, or three or more detached bedrooms with central sanitary, laundry, cooking and dining facilities. At present, multiple small residential units on a single parcel are not recognized in the County's zoning regulations. In addition, State Law prevents moveable tiny houses from use as permanent residences outside a mobile home or other park setting. 

Why the Ordinance is Needed

The closest analogies to groups of small residences that are currently legal are mobile home parks, special occupancy parks, RV parks, campgrounds, and planned unit developments. The tiny house villages and emergency housing villages proposed here attempt to address some of the shortcomings of these housing types, such as: 

• Tiny houses on foundations are allowed as permanent dwellings if they meet building codes, however, groups of tiny houses on a single parcel are not allowed by current zoning. 
• Moveable tiny houses (tiny houses on wheels) are classified under state law as RVs, and only allowed for temporary residency, or as a permanent residence in parks. 
• Groups of two or more moveable tiny houses are classified under State Law as Special Occupancy Parks, subject to the Special Occupancy Parks Act.
• Most parks are currently run as commercial enterprises regulated by the State, which may prevent residents from having a long-term interest in the land or structure.
• Tiny houses and moveable tiny houses are cheaper to build than full size dwellings but when they are built individually as single family residences, the land, water and sewer, and other development costs can cancel the savings realized by the smaller structure size.