DC is Trying a Tiny House on for Size

• February 2, 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

DC's Vacant to Vibrant initiative has already gotten the ball rolling on various endeavors to increase the supply of workforce and affordable housing throughout the city, with public-private partnerships and vacant property auctions. One of the programs under the initiative's umbrella will be on a much smaller scale.

The Department of Community and Housing Development (DHCD) is partnering with the DC Students Construction Trades Foundation to build a single tiny home, designed by Minim House, in the 1100 block of 50th Place NE (map) on a site previously slated to be included in last month's auction of 30+ vacant properties. Students from the Academy of Construction and Design at IDEA Public Charter School in Northeast will assemble the house.

However, it may be premature to get your hopes up that more Boneyard Studio-like communities will begin to (legally) crop up throughout the city.

"The Bowser administration is committed to evaluating a variety of strategies that will provide residents with more affordable housing," DHCD communications director Gwen Cofield explained to UrbanTurf. "While the Tiny Home is just a demonstration project and does not reflect a formal policy decision, it provides a great opportunity to see how tiny homes can fit into the DC landscape."

Timeline details are still forthcoming; the demonstration is expected to begin in the spring.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dc-is-trying-a-tiny-house-on-for-size/13523