It’s time to allow tiny homes in San Luis Obispo

Tiny homes on wheels are a growing trend among many generations — most notably millennials. As a 30-something living in San Luis, I don’t even dream of finding a home I could afford to buy, and reasonably priced rentals are increasingly hard to come by. We all know about the housing crisis.

Legalizing tiny houses is one creative solution to the problem. I cringe every time I hear someone say we need fewer rental homes in San Luis. Should people who cannot afford to buy here just leave town? No, let’s rather help our current renters to become homeowners!

For many, a tiny house on wheels is a perfect affordable solution. Those who own a tiny house could place it behind a traditional house, creating two owner-occupied housing units on one piece of precious land. Or several tiny house owners could pool their money and purchase property for a tiny house community.

Unfortunately tiny houses on wheels are not currently legal in San Luis. We need our City Council to pass legislation that can make tiny homes on wheels a realistic solution to our housing crisis.

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This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 1:37 PM with the headline "It’s time to allow tiny homes in San Luis Obispo."