- Target:
- Town of Chapel Hill
- Region:
- United States of America
WHEREAS, Tiny Homes are defined as housing units that are 400 square feet or less; and Moveable Tiny Homes are limited to a maximum 8.5 feet wide and 13.6 feet high (to be able to travel on the highway);
WHEREAS, Tiny Homes are compact spaces that can provide all daily uses including living, working, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation at a fraction of the cost of single-family or multi-family housing units in Chapel Hill;
WHEREAS, Tiny Homes are built like a conventional house and can be designed to resemble a typical cottage, bungalow, or other designs that complement different settings;
WHEREAS, there are many potential opportunities to make Tiny Homes an affordable housing option in Chapel Hill, including but not limited to backyard cottages, tiny home communities on the Green Tract, UNC properties, faith-based properties, habitat projects, and unusable parcels;
WHEREAS, there are numerous barriers in local codes to Tiny Homes on foundations and Moveable Tiny Homes, including but not limited to the Building Code, zoning district limitations, fees and processing requirements, parking requirements, minimum lot size requirements, overly restrictive setbacks, and minimum square footage of the structure;
WHEREAS, many communities have revised or are in the process of revising their local codes to make Tiny Homes on foundations and/or Moveable Tiny Homes an affordable and legal housing product;
WHEREAS, in December 2016, the International Residential Code (IRC), which governs national, state, and local building codes, adopted Appendix Q Tiny Houses as an amendment to the 2015 IRC; and WHEREAS Appendix Q provides standards for the interior construction of Tiny Homes, including maximum area, ceiling height, loft, stairs, risers, and emergency exit; and WHEREAS Appendix Q standards are appropriate and affordable for a small living space; and WHEREAS Appendix Q of the IRC becomes effective in 2018, yet states and local governments may take several years to adopt the latest version of the IRC.
NOW BE IT THEREFORE, WE THE UNDERSIGNED
REQUEST the Town of Chapel Hill to evaluate code revisions adopted or being considered by other local governments that make Tiny Homes on Foundations and Moveable Tiny Homes legal, accessible, and affordable, and consider which of these or other options are appropriate for Chapel Hill; and
REQUEST the Town of Chapel Hill to amend the Town’s codes and ordinances to make Tiny Homes a legal and affordable housing option for a wide variety of people; and
REQUEST the Town of Chapel Hill to adopt the International Building Code Appendix Q Tiny Houses in 2018 when it becomes effective and use Appendix Q in conjunction with the 2015 IRC.
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The Make Tiny Homes a Legal and Affordable Housing Option petition to Town of Chapel Hill was written by Kimberly Brewer and is in the category Justice at GoPetition.