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Elliot Lake Tiny Home Community in the News

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, News. 2 Comments on Elliot Lake Tiny Home Community in the News

Recently I was interviewed by Stephen Calverley for ElliotLakeToday.com about our proposed affordable, sustainable, eco-friendly tiny home community in Elliot Lake. With the need for more affordable starter homes, workforce, and seniors’ housing, our community model has the potential to check a lot of boxes. Our engineer is currently working with city staff to develop a site plan that meets development and building code requirements.

If you are a local contractor or supplier looking to support a development, let us know. We are looking to establish solid business relationships, as we work to build affordable communities across northern, central, and southern Ontario.

Read the full story here … https://www.elliotlaketoday.com/local-news/tiny-homes-proponent-develops-concept-seeks-funding-8161021

Canadian Business Owner – Multicultural Entrepreneurs Business Community – Conversation

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog, News. No Comments on Canadian Business Owner – Multicultural Entrepreneurs Business Community – Conversation

Thanks Rasheed, for the opportunity to share our affordable, tiny home community vision with your audience. The more we can get the word out, and help people to understand that our tiny home communities aren’t something to fear, they are just like any other, but smaller and more affordable. We feel our developments will also rekindle what has been lost in traditional housing, community. When the biggest room in your house is the outdoors, meeting and getting to know your neighbours is inevitable.

https://www.mebccanada.com/conversations.html

Monday Morning Community – Odessa/Loyalist

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog. 6 Comments on Monday Morning Community – Odessa/Loyalist

I had been talking to Loyalist Township about tiny home communities and felt there was interest. An opportunity came up to purchase a property I felt could make a good community, and as many people at the TinyHome.Show asked how they could start a community on land they owned, this seemed like an ideal test project.

I purchased the property, and we submitted this community design proposal. The property is 27-acres, zoned for a single-family dwelling, has no municipal water or sewage service, and backs onto other rural 2-acre residential properties, as well as woodland. Here is the township’s response:

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the additional information.

I can confirm that this will be a very complex project to undertake. Several planning applications will be required, including a Zoning By-law Amendment, Official Plan Amendment, Site Plan Control Application and Condo application. Given that the property is in the rural designation also complicates matters as the Township’s Official Plan states that the Township envisages that the rural settlement pattern will contain very limited residential development. The Official Plan also speaks to development being focussed to the urban settlement areas, where municipal services are available. The County of Lennox and Addington Official Plan also speaks to providing for limited residential development in the rural designation while focusing the growth to urban areas and rural settlement areas.

The community centre also has uses that are primarily directed to the Township’s hamlets or urban settlement areas. The development is also all proposed directly behind existing low density residential homes.

Communal systems are also quite complicated and there are currently none within the Township. These have to be approved by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and I believe the municipality has to enter into a municipal responsibility agreement that requires them to take responsibility for failed communal systems. In addition, the entire township is on a highly vulnerable aquifer.

Aside from the issues above, the plan you provided does not contain all the details we would need to understand the proposal (i.e. is the internal road a municipal road or a condo road etc). The plan also did not consider the property itself. For example, there appears to be a natural feature (watercourse) running across the property.

Based on our policy framework and what is being proposed, this proposal will be difficult to support in this location from a staff perspective. My recommendation would be to consult with a planner and engineer familiar with rural development and communal systems and also have the planner review our Official Plan in regards to the limiting rural residential development policies. We would need a full concept brought forward to us to provide any further comments on how the condominium would also truly be set up in addition to addressing the other items above. The concept plan would also have to take into account the actual property being looked at as well.

If you have any further questions at this time, feel free to reach out to me.

I appreciate the detailed response, and how they pointed out the potential challenges along with steps to address them. This is not a small, tiny home development, so if you are thinking of a few tiny homes on your property, you may face similar challenges, just easier to overcome. The communal waste and water services of a larger development will be one of the biggest challenges, as there are not many across Ontario, or Canada. This affordable housing development will be complex to bring together, which just means it will take longer, involve more people, and cost more than our other developments.

To stay informed of our progress in this and any Tiny Town community, subscribe to our newsletter. Its free and we don’t spam.

Monday Morning Community – Kingston

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog. 16 Comments on Monday Morning Community – Kingston

We have been talking to the City of Kingston for a while, and they had provided details on a 2+ acre parcel that we have proposed building 24-homes, a community center, storage lockers, gardens, gazebo, firepits, centralized parking, and lots of green space for the community to enjoy. We have planned a commercial kitchen with dining area where citizens can share a meal, a lounge to gather with neighbours, co-working space, small business space, and a coffee shop in the community center.

While discussions had stalled, recent funding options will hopefully breathe new life into this development. With the need for more affordable housing choices in the city, we bring a unique format that will expand rental and affordable-to-own options for many. We also plan to offer a rent-to-own program for those that would like to take the next step towards home ownership.

To stay informed of our progress in this and any Tiny Town community, subscribe to our newsletter. Its free and we don’t spam.

Monday Morning Community – Kincardine

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog. 32 Comments on Monday Morning Community – Kincardine

A little late this week, however this week’s community highlight is the Town of Kincardine, on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario. We have been talking to the town and they have provided details on a 1.34-acre parcel that we have proposed putting 18-homes on, plus community center, storage lockers, gardens, a gazebo, firepit, centralized parking, and lots of green space for the citizens to enjoy. The community center will provide a community kitchen with dining area where citizens can share a meal, a lounge to gather with neighbours, co-working space, small business space, and a coffee shop.

Monday Morning Community – Val Rita-Harty

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog. 4 Comments on Monday Morning Community – Val Rita-Harty

This week’s community highlight is in the municipality of Val Rita-Harty, in the town of Val Rita. We have been talking to the municipality and they have provided details on a 2-acre parcel that we have proposed putting 24-homes on, plus community center, storage lockers, gardens, a gazebo, firepit, parking beside each home, and lots of green space for the citizens to enjoy. The community center will provide a community kitchen with dining area where citizens can share a meal, a lounge to gather with neighbours, co-working space, small business space, and a coffee shop.

Update Elliot Lake Community Design

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog. 22 Comments on Update Elliot Lake Community Design

After feedback from the community on our initial Elliot Lake community design, and informal consultation with Elliot Lake planning, building, emergency services departments, and city staff we have updated the plan to include a number of key features:

  • parking at each tiny home,
  • snow storage at the corners of the development,
  • 82-homes in the community,
  • 8-pocket neighbourhoods,
  • expanded 10,000 sq ft community center including:
    • solar/small wind generation rooftop,
    • commercial kitchen,
    • dining room,
    • coffee shop,
    • lounge,
    • artisans shops,
    • co-working space,
    • fitness center/yoga,
    • health clinic.
  • gazebos, community gardens (both flower & vegetable), picnic areas, firepits, community parks, greenhouse, community storage units,
  • bus shelter,
  • off-leash dog park.

Most features will be limited to community members, however some features will be accessible to the greater Elliot Lake community.

Municipal Day at the Tiny Home Show

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog. 2 Comments on Municipal Day at the Tiny Home Show

If you are looking for ways to address your local housing needs, tiny homes can be part of the solution in pocket communities, villages, and as ADUs. 67% of those in housing need fit the tiny home demographic of singles, couples and young families. Tiny homes can provide affordable, incremental, rapid housing. Please see the brochure for details on the 2nd annual, Tiny Home Show in Ancaster, ON July 27, 28 & 29.
Municipal Day Brochure

Meeting Rural Ontario’s Housing Needs

Written by Founder on . Posted in Communities, Founder's Blog. 6 Comments on Meeting Rural Ontario’s Housing Needs

1.5M homes by 2032 is an ambitious goal however, the alternative is more people living in friends’ spare rooms, their basements, on couches, and floors, or becoming homeless. While major developers are focused on the high-density, big city builds (the places with the highest need), rural Ontario’s housing crisis is set to explode.

The existing Ontario building industry completed 71,838 units in 2022. The problem is we needed 136,364-units to stay on plan to reach 1.5M homes. If the traditional builders can grow by 5% compounded annually, by 2032 we will only be short 480,000 units, most of which is expected to be in rural Ontario.

Our plan is to build tiny home communities across rural Ontario. The combination of traditional built homes, along with tiny homes, has the potential to meet the anticipated housing need by 2032. Tiny homes can address some of the singles, couples and 3-person household needs, while keeping us on track to absorb some of the big city shortage. We can either plan for it, or be surprised by it.

The following video looks at this plan and explains the numbers. Please share.

Rural Ontario Housing Plan – v2.1

Sources/Info/Print Copy:
meeting-rural-onatrio-housing-needs-v2
TTA-canadacities-v7.xlsx

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