During the discussions with El Paso County Commissioners on Tuesday the industry shared some interesting concepts for how these tiny homes are being clustered into highly efficient communities elsewhere and how they might play a role in addressing the need for more workforce housing in El Paso County.2
El Paso County will allow tiny houses in unincorporated areas, commissioners agreed unanimously on Tuesday.
They voted to amend the land use code to permit the miniature structures in agricultural zoning districts, on some residential lots and in recreational vehicle parks – wherever mobile homes are allowed, according to the county’s Planning and Community Development Department.
The changes also will let residents live in the homes permanently, which the code previously prohibited because it classified tiny houses as RVs.
Tiny houses are typically less than 400 square feet, and some are mounted on trailers. Fans of the miniature dwellings see them as a solution to rising housing prices that also reduces energy consumption and allows for a new brand of minimalist, mobile lifestyle.
El Paso County is one of the first local governments in Colorado to change its rules for tiny houses.1
By Ourtinycabinproject (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
