At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange recently introduced a bill that is meant to boost the number of affordable housing for Millennials and lower-income residents, but actually violates fair housing laws due to its age restriction. The bill proposes the construction of 1,000 tiny homes with 125 in each of Washington, D.C.'s eight wards. The selection process as to who will live in each tiny home will be targeted towards first-time homebuyers, those between the ages of 18 to 33, and those making minimum wage.
According to the proposed bill, each home would be no less than 600-square-feet, would be stationary, have at least one bedroom and one bathroom, a kitchen, electricity, a heating system, and plumbing. Each home would cost no more than $50,000 to construct and to buy.
On where the tiny homes will be located, Orange tasked Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity Courtney Snowden with the decision. Washington City Paper believes that the RFK stadium would be "one of the most obvious locations." Orange, though, already has plans for a water park on that site.
So far, there have been few public backers of this new legislation. Orange challenger David Garber told Washington City Paper that tiny houses are "gimmicky affordable housing solutions." Meanwhile, UrbanTurf described the legislation as "peculiar," while Washington City Paper described the project as "politically baffling." According to Loose Lips columnist Will Sommer, "The key to Orange's support for the tiny houses may lie not with who would live in them, but who would build them." In the bill, it does not specify who would build the tiny homes. It simply states that "a small business enterprise" would develop, plan, and construct each home. Both Washington City Paper and UrbanTurf believe that there's little to no chance that the bill will actually pass. Let us know in the comments how you feel about this bill and whether or not you think it should pass.
· Orange Wants 'Tiny Houses' for Millennials [Washington City Paper]
· Councilmember Introduces Bill That Would Build 1,000 Tiny Houses For Millennials in DC [UrbanTurf]
· Visit D.C.'s Tiny-Home Commune, All Under 300-Square-Feet [Curbed DC]
· What Happened to the Tiny-Home Commune, Boneyard Studios? [Curbed DC]
· Minim House, D.C.'s Most Famous Tiny Home, Wins AIA Award [Curbed DC]
· Write a 350-Word Essay, Win a 210-Sq. Ft. Tiny Home in D.C. [Curbed DC]
· For Millennials, Is Living in Washington, D.C. Worth It? [Curbed DC]
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