Vancouver Housing Authority sizes up plot for tiny homes in Fruit Valley
First-of-its-kind project to buy, place, rent three to low-income households
By Patty Hastings, Columbian
Social Services, Demographics, Faith
Published: June 27, 2020, 6:02am
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Vancouver Housing Authority plans to purchase three tiny homes from Wolf Industries and put them on a vacant lot of land next to the authority's Fruit Valley units. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
Vancouver Housing Authority plans to purchase three tiny homes to place on an underutilized lot in Fruit Valley and rent them out to low-income households. It would be the first project of its kind for the housing authority.
“Part of my motivation here is to see if these types of projects work,” said Executive Director Roy Johnson.
Johnson said he also saw an opportunity to work with a local housing manufacturer to develop affordable housing — in this case, Battle Ground-based tiny home builder Wolf Industries.
On Thursday, the housing authority’s board of commissioners approved $550,000 in unrestricted funds to pay for the units and site work. Vancouver Housing Authority owns the land at West 31st Street just east of Fruit Valley Road, which is next to other housing authority properties. The land used to have a playground.
Each 616-square-foot, two-bedroom home will be set on a foundation and face a central courtyard. There will be four parking spaces.
Johnson anticipates the homes will be move-in ready in about a year.
Wolf Industries’ primary customers are people looking to build backyard accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, for family members.
More recently, the company has delved into multifamily projects. It’s slated to build 21 tiny homes further north in Fruit Valley for the local housing nonprofit Community Roots Collaborative. Tenants would pay down their 300-square-foot houses in a lease-to-own contract that costs tenants $700 a month.
Wolf Industries also built homes for Northern California wildfire victims looking to get back on their feet through Homes for Sonoma. And, the company is wrapping up cluster of riverfront cabins in Boardman, Ore.
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