Can tiny homes help solve a big problem? Raleigh mayor praises ‘major step forward.’

Anna Johnson
·2 min read

Ana Barnes, a single mom of three, calls Raleigh an impossible place to live for a single parent.

She told the Raleigh City Council she left an abusive marriage with little resources, searching for stability.

She and other single mothers think tiny homes may provide some of that stability.

“On the surface, we’re talking about tiny homes,” she told council members Tuesday. “But underneath that, we are really presenting a conversation to you about providing an alternative means for stabilization within our community.”

Barnes was one of a handful of residents who spoke in favor of new zoning rules to allow tiny homes throughout the city. The Raleigh City Council approved the changes unanimously.

The new rules cap tiny homes at 600 square feet, which is slightly bigger than normal tiny homes, according to the city’s planning documents. The homes would also have to meet U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development standards.

Tiny homes will be allowed as standalone buildings or in tiny home neighborhoods or cottage courts with a shared space.

The N.C Housing Coalition estimated 1 in 4 Wake County households was cost-burdened in 2019, meaning they were spending more than 30% of their income on housing and related costs like utilities.

The figure was even higher among renters, at 41%. To afford a modest two-bedroom apartment at $1,026 per month in the county, a household had to make $41,040 a year, the coalition estimated.

Dexter Tillett built his tiny home in Raleigh, NC, and advocates for tiny houses as the owner of Tiny Homes Raleigh
Dexter Tillett built his tiny home in Raleigh, NC, and advocates for tiny houses as the owner of Tiny Homes Raleigh

Manufactured housing

Tiny homes are one way of adding housing diversity, an idea many council members believe will help address the city’s growing affordable housing shortage.

The city’s planning commission supported the changes but didn’t include manufactured houses to be used as tiny homes. The City Council added that type of home to the rules at several speakers’ request.

“If we’re trying to reduce costs and increase housing options, I think we need the manufactured home in there,” said Council member Jonathan Melton.

Some speakers said the new rules don’t go far enough, but Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin she was pleased with what was accomplished.

“I’ve been working on this for five years,” she said. “And this is not perfect, what’s come before us. But I also don’t believe in letting great be the enemy of good. This is a major step forward.”