Tiny-home subdivisions possibly coming to Blackfoot
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BLACKFOOT — Tiny-home subdivisions may be the key Blackfoot’s housing shortage. At least, city leaders hope so.
The Tiny House Subdivision Ordinance would do exactly what the title implies: create tiny-house subdivisions.
“We’re kind of in a housing crisis right now, up and down the whole corridor. There’s just not a lot (of housing) on the market,” Planning and Zoning Director Kurt Hibbert said.
Hibbert said the subdivisions would ideally be built in underdeveloped single-family areas of the city. The ordinance would require the subdivisions to create a highly vegetated, park-like environment.
“Now, these are tiny homes on permanent foundations as opposed to the tiny homes on wheels,” Hibbert said.
Hibbert said the goal of the ordinance is to address several key issues: increase housing stock, increase affordable housing, facilitate intergenerational living, attract new residents, increase municipal revenue and support vulnerable populations.
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“There’s a lot of minimalist-living lifestyles now. People are trying to dejunk and trying to gain some liberation through not having stuff everywhere. So that’s something that’s being supported by this,” Hibbert said.
Blackfoot Mayor Marc Carroll he’s excited to see if there is a market for tiny homes and if a subdivision could attract new residents to the city.
“Obviously, tiny homes are not for everybody,” Carroll said. “But there is a part of the population that seems to be very attracted to it.”
Lot sizes within the subdivision will, at least, be the size of the house with space for parking. The tiny houses will likely have a minimum of 200 square feet of living space.
“(The designer) can propose the lot sizes they think will work best for their development,” Hibbert said.
The public is invited to give their thoughts on the ordinance Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Blackfoot City Building.
“We’re pretty excited about this. I think there’s a lot of interest in it right now,” Hibbert said. “We feel like this is going to allow one of hopefully several solutions to the housing crunch we have right now.”