Tiny Communities Foster Growing Acceptance
St. Petersburg — In response to the growing popularity of tiny houses, tiny communities have begun to pop up across the Tampa Bay area in recent years.
Built structurally like traditional homes, yet on trailers, tiny homes have found themselves in a grey area when it comes to zoning laws. Currently most cities and counties label them as RVs and as such, they have been limited to RV parks or as accessory dwellings attached to existing homes. The problem, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times, has been that most potential tiny home owners don’t want to live in a RV park, and accessory dwellings are not permitted as full-time residences. These circumstances have made it very difficult to place tiny homes, but some entrepreneurs have begun to build dedicated tiny home communities in the area.
Aware of the stigma that surrounds trailer parks, Debbie Caneen purchased and refurbished a neglected RV park in Ruskin, in part, to show that tiny homes could be a benefit to the surrounding community. She felt that tiny homes would be a solution for the growing need of what she called “workforce housing.” The phrase itself was part of her destigmatizing effort.
“When people think of affordable housing, they think I don’t want that in my neighborhood,” Caneen said.
It led Caneen to create the Circle Pond tiny community. Instead of people associating “affordable housing” with things such as crime and lower property value, she wanted “workforce housing” associated with people such as nurses or firemen and as a valuable part of the community. And in order to ensure the homes aren’t deserving of a bad reputation, she said she only allows ones that have passed a third-party inspection and are certified by Bildsworth International. She said she uses the nationally recognized certification as a type of quality control for the homes.
Circle Pond currently has 10 tiny homes and boasts a community vegetable garden, numerous fruiting trees and a beehive that provides fresh honey for the residents. All of the features, she said, are meant to bring the residents closer to a more independent and sustainable lifestyle.
“Freedom,” Caneen said. “That’s what this lifestyle offers.”
Dan Dobrowolski, the owner and founder of the Escape Tampa Bay Village in Thonotosassa, was another person who saw the potential of the tiny home market. Unlike Circle Pond, Escape built and installed all of its own units on the site. The village has been marketed as an eco-friendly option for those that want the convenience of the city but without the congestion.
Dobrowolski already owned the Canoe Bay vacation tiny home village in Wisconsin when he approached Hillsborough County with his plans for the new addition. He worked with the county from the beginning to avoid as many development problems as possible.
“There are always hurdles, but they have been supportive,” Dobrowolski said.
The village currently has 10 homes on site, and Business Observer reported back in January that Dobrowolski was looking into other areas of Florida to expand. But not every potential location has been as receptive as Hillsborough County. He said the Escape Tampa Bay Village has been received very well by its community though.
A University of South Florida alumni, Dobrowolski has also been looking for ways to involve the school in his tiny home projects. Working with the deans and Kemel Thompson, the Director of Development at USF, Dobrowolski and the school have been exploring ways the concept could be placed within a curriculum. Nothing definitive has been planned, but Thompson said things are in the works.
“I think Dan really wants to have an engagement that is hands-on,” said Thompson.
