Athens Area Habitat for Humanity handed over the keys to two new “kinda tiny” homes Tuesday.
Athens zoning laws don’t allow for true tiny homes—dwellings of less than 600 square feet, but the pair of “kinda tiny” homes are between 700 and 800 square feet.
Spencer Frye, Executive Director of the Athens Area Habitat for Humanity wrote in an email to WUGA, “Minimum house size rules are the vestiges of segregationist policies during the Civil Rights Movement. We wanted to show our community and elected officials that these arcane policies need to be erased from our code and small homes can be a viable way to tackle the cost manageable housing issues Athens faces. We should make bold and transformative policy decisions to help our citizens achieve success and restore faith in an old dream, homeownership.”
The “kinda tiny” homes are LEED certified and have features like solar power, environmentally friendly materials and construction methods, and efficient insulation. They were recently completed at Dorsey Village—a Habitat-built pocket neighborhood on New Hope Drive.
Athens Area Habitat for Humanity is a financial supporter of WUGA.
