Recently I came across another story about the tiny home movement that is gaining momentum around the United States and the World. Homes like the one pictured above seem to adequately meet the needs of more and more people. The idea of a "McMansion" just seems so ostentatious to more and more people.
I am not sure where this trend fits into the future for Howard County. The McMansions seem to have a stronghold on new construction here. Are the construction costs and opportunity for developer profits too attractive to ever see tiny homes in our County? Have you seen any housing being built these days for under $500,000? The days of Ryland and Ryan building starter homes of 1500 square feet seem long gone. This maybe one reason why we seem to have trouble keeping young people who grew up in Howard County but now find they are priced out of much of the housing in the County as they begin their careers. Many find more affordable housing just over the Howard County lines.
So I am not sure if this type of housing would ever be viable in Howard County but I would like to see land somewhere in Howard County where a tiny home community could be established. Maybe marketed to singles and retired people. Dream on, dream on!
P.S.
Along the same lines I wonder if the Granny Flat concept would ever catch on here. From what I understand granny flats could be constructed in Howard County. Zoning laws apparently don't outlaw them outright. I wonder if any have ever been constructed in Howard County.
#hocoblogs
1 comment:
In the western part of the county, the land would often be more expensive than the structure, so that would make that less likely. Columbia would likely not have them since we're pretty much full and the trend is to get away from the standalone housing unit anyway. In cities, these are used unofficially, but there's no proper zoning for them. The route1 corridor may see some of there in the trailer parks, but even there, the trend is to move towards multi unit housing.
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