Those looking to downsize their living space now have the opportunity to pursue tiny home living in Leander.

As the interest in tiny homes grows across the nation, several cities are working to address this trend. Leander approved an ordinance March 9 to allow for residences with smaller square footages to be built in the city.

According to the ordinance, a tiny home is a residence of 140-700 square feet including at least a sleeping and living area, a kitchen and a bathroom.

David Garcia, business development manager with Leander-based Tovar Construction Co., said the ordinance is exciting because “that’s what starts the process.”

“Chris [Tovar] and I now know that we can build within the city ordinance and even abide by the architectural requirements,” he said. 

At a City Council meeting March 9, Garcia expressed concern about the materials allowed to be used to build tiny homes. The ordinance states each home must have masonry, but it was clarified that Hardie plank siding can be used, which can make construction more affordable. Assistant City Manager Tom Yantis said one form of permanent foundation is a pier-and-beam foundation, which he said may make it more cost-effective to pick and move the house.

Yantis also said the structures would not be allowed to sit on wheels.

Tiny House benefits

“I think this is a really great opportunity for us to embrace some more progressive thought in our zoning and allowing for folks to really have a chance to own a home that’s affordable and frees up their downsizing,” Garcia said. “[Tiny home owners] are making an impact in the community I think by doing that—they’re going to free up money to spend in our economy in other ways.”

Garcia said tiny homes can easily be developed, but a larger question concerns financing.

Garcia said there is currently nothing to compare to tiny home development except for ready-made trailer tiny homes that can sell for $30,000-$100,000.

Local Ordinance

Cedar Park does not have an ordinance for tiny homes but does require a minimum residential square footage of 1,100, according to the city.

Yantis said the city modeled its ordinance off one being developed by the International Code Council, which plans to adopt the updates next year.

“We’re a little bit ahead of ICC on this,” Yantis said. “A lot of communities are working on these same sorts of amendments in order to be able to facilitate the development of tiny houses.”

The ordinance requires the houses to be within 600 feet of a shared amenity space or in proximity to community services such as a grocery store or restaurant. Garcia said this may make it more difficult to find land fit for tiny homes that is affordable, which is why he and Tovar are interested in continuing to talk with the city about development areas of tiny homes.

Garcia said his “perfect tiny community” would have a 1- or 2-acre lot with about 15-20 homes per acre.

“It would have a row of tiny houses with a shared space that could either be kitchen, bathroom and showers, laundry, so that you could have the ability to do some of the things you might need to do,” he said. “You could even have a shared garden. That’s what makes it a community, and that’s what’s awesome about it.”

Under the ordinance, tiny homes can be built in sections of the city zoned as single-family urban manufactured housing districts. The tiny homes also will be required to be connected to city utilities.

Garcia said the homes can benefit the economy by allowing people to free up some of their money and  promote a more community-centered living space.

“Tiny homes create sort of a vibe because of the people that own them; they’re looking for opportunities to impact their community and own space,” Garcia said. “When you own space, you want to beautify your space. You want to live in your community and be involved.”