Local lawmaker aims to create guidance for building tiny homes
A Western Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to make it easier for local municipalities to develop tiny homes in their communities — something the city of Pittsburgh is already contemplating.
Rep. Abby Major (RArmstrong/ Westmoreland) announced this week that she will soon be introducing a bill that would make the rules governing the construction of tiny homes under 400 feet uniform across the state. Ms. Major hopes the move could tackle the growing deficit of affordable housing in Pennsylvania.
“Currently, there is a lack of clear guidance, making it difficult for local governments to establish parameters by which tiny houses would be permissible and permanent single-family dwellings,” Ms. Major said in a press release.
The legislation would amend Pennsylvania’s statewide building code, relaxing requirements for homes under 400 square feet and allowing them to be installed on a foundation as a permanent residence. It would only apply in municipalities that choose to opt in.
“Due to housing affordability problems we are experiencing, we need to look for ways to help communities that want to provide for tiny houses,” Ms. Major said in the release. “I’m hopeful this legislation will advance quickly.”
Pittsburgh itself is turning to tiny homes to address its homelessness crisis and is awaiting approval from the city’s planning commission on a proposal to create tiny home villages. City Council members Deb Gross and Anthony Coghill have proposed the idea as a quick, cost-effective way to temporarily shelter people in need and ease their transition into permanent housing. They say a traditional apartment complex would cost double in comparison.
These “temporary managed communities” would provide electricity, food, restroom facilities and 24hour wraparound services for up to 50 people. The commission is expected to take up the issue again next month.
Ms. Major’s legislation lays out a blueprint for how such homes and communities could be built, said Michael Glass, an urbanist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh. The measure would outline certain conditions for the structures themselves — that they have permanent foundations and particular hookups.
It also would dictate what the interior of a tiny home looks like, with provisions for certain features such as compact stairs and handrails.
“I’m not just going to Home Depot to get a bunch of tool sheds and call them a tiny house development,” Mr. Glass said. “I’d have to follow particular guidance to protect myself and whoever is going to be living there.”
The cost of the homes and other potential barriers to occupancy lie beyond the legislation’s scope, he said.
“What you’re doing with this legislation is that you’re allowing these types of buildings to be constructed, but what happens beyond that is up to the developer,” Mr. Glass said.
Tiny homes have popped up in dozens of cities across the country — over 100, according to Mr. Coghill and Ms. Gross. Harrisburg already has broken ground on a community of 15 tiny homes for unhoused veterans.
In Philadelphia, the city reversed course this past week and abandoned its tiny home project altogether. The nonprofit responsible for building the houses claims that Mayor Cherelle Park’s administration doesn’t support it and without explanation, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
For communities that may be hesitant to develop a new type of housing, the proposed legislation gives them a place to start, Mr. Glass said.
Light of Life Rescue Mission runs two emergency shelters for men, women and children; Annie Cairns, senior marketing and communications director, said the organization supports any measure that could increase affordable housing options.
Although the new legislation isn’t directly tied to the unhoused population, she said, “If you can provide a solution for people not to lose the roof over their heads, while keeping them within their community, that’s always a positive thing.”